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Boeing 747: Current status and future outlook

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Boeing 747: Current status and future outlook
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Boeing 747 | Wikipedia

Boeing has constructed a total of 1,573 Boeing 747 aircraft, including two Air Force One models pending delivery. The iconic aircraft known as the "Queen of the Skies" ceased production in 2023 when the final unit was delivered to Atlas Air. Despite its retirement from passenger service by major airlines like United Airlines and Delta Air Lines in 2017, some Boeing 747s continue to operate, primarily as freighters.

"The Boeing 747 Jumbo first entered service in 1969 with Pan Am and soon became an icon of the airline and the Jet Age," notes industry observers. The aircraft was initially designed for passenger use but has found new life as a freighter, with several retired passenger planes converted for cargo operations.

Today, only four airlines—Korean Air, Air China, Lufthansa, and Rossiya—continue to operate scheduled passenger flights using Boeing 747s. Korean Air uses five out of its sixteen Jumbos for passenger services. Meanwhile, Lufthansa remains the largest operator with a fleet of twenty-seven Boeing 747s dedicated to passenger transport.

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A significant portion of the remaining operational fleet consists of older variants such as the Boeing 747-400 and newer models like the Boeing 747-8. Atlas Air leads as the largest operator with sixty-one Jumbos in service, while UPS follows closely with forty-three units.

Of all Boeing 747s built, approximately twenty-nine percent remain active today. While many have been scrapped or lost in accidents over time, others have been preserved or repurposed for various uses. For instance, at Space Center Houston's Independence Plaza, visitors can view a replica space shuttle mounted on one of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The future sees these aircraft continuing their role predominantly as freighters and special mission planes even after their rival Airbus A380 Superjumbos are retired from service.

Organizations Included in this History
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