Delta, the world’s second largest airline, sent its final 747 to an Arizona “boneyard” this week, marking another chapter in the slow death of the jumbo jet.
Last month United, Delta’s US rival, waved goodbye to its final 747 with a farewell flight from San Francisco to Honolulu (recreating the route of its first 747 service in 1970). Not one US carrier now flies the iconic Boeing aircraft, which – after almost 50 years of tireless service – is gradually disappearing from our skies.
Even it’s biggest customer, British Airways, is phasing it out of its fleet. It currently has 36 jumbo jets, according to the website Airfleets.net, but a further 34 have already been placed in storage and it has said the model will be gone from its hangers by 2024.
Demand for the 747, which has been tweaked and upgraded many times since its first flight in 1969, has dried up. No new orders were received last year and it is expected that Boeing will be forced to call time on the jumbo jet before long.
Since 1969 Boeing has produced more than 1,500 jumbo jets. But around two-thirds of these have now been scrapped, written off, or placed in storage at one of the world’s aircraft graveyards.
That leaves 512 still “active”, according to Airfleets.net.
Besides BA, the biggest users of the 747 include a clutch of venerable carriers. KLM, the world’s oldest airline, has 17, but that number is falling fast. Last month we reported on the final flight of
Article source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/slow-death-747-where-are-they-now/
