Alerts Sign-up
The Boeing 747, once the largest passenger aircraft in the world before being surpassed by the Airbus A380, continues to operate a limited number of commercial flights as its presence in passenger service declines. Introduced in January 1970 with Pan American World Airways as its launch customer, Boeing produced a total of 1,574 units until the final delivery in January 2023.
Currently, only a small fraction of these aircraft remain active in scheduled passenger service. According to recent data, four airlines—Lufthansa, Air China, Korean Air, and Rossiya (an Aeroflot subsidiary)—operate scheduled Boeing 747 flights. As of June 2025, there were 44 passenger-configured Boeing 747s still listed as operational or parked among these carriers. Lufthansa has the largest fleet with 27 aircraft (both 747-400 and newer 747-8 variants), followed by Air China with seven (also both variants), Korean Air with five (all 747-8), and Rossiya with five (all 747-400).
During May's peak travel period in Europe, Flightradar24 reported that there were a total of 3,269 scheduled Boeing 747 passenger flights worldwide. At that time Max Air from Nigeria was also operating three Boeing 747-400s; however, by August two had been retired and the airline faced regulatory scrutiny following an incident involving another aircraft earlier in the year.
