“Queen of the Skies” .. “Jumbo Jet” aircraft is preparing to conclude its career

The Boeing 747, the world’s first jumbo jet, revolutionized aviation for five decades to claim the title “Queen of the Skies”, but is about to give up its throne in favor of more efficient twin-engine planes.

The last Boeing 747 commercial aircraft will be handed over to Atlas Air, tomorrow, Tuesday, in its cargo version, which still survives 53 years after it entered service.
Designed in the 1960s to meet the demand for group travel, it was the world’s first twin-aisle, wide-body, double-decker aircraft, becoming a symbol of luxury above the clouds.

But what really changed global air travel was its seemingly endless ranks.

“This was the plane that made flying possible for the middle class in the United States,” Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, told Reuters. “Before the 747, the average family could not afford to fly from the United States to Europe at an affordable price.” carry around”.

Outdated

The first Boeing 747 took off from New York on January 22, 1970.
The capacity of the “jumbo” aircraft was almost twice the capacity of the aircraft at the time.
It had between 350 and 400 seats, which in turn changed the design of airports.
But it is the same burst of innovation that it has witnessed over the decades that is now causing the end of its era, as development and progress allowed two-engine aircraft to match the same capacity, but at a lower cost.

Even so, the latest version of that plane, the 747-8 Freighter, will still be flying for years.

However, the 777X, which is set to replace the 747 at the top of the airliner market, will not be ready until at least 2025 after delays.

“With impressive technology, great capacity and extreme cost savings…the 777X sadly makes the 747 seem so obsolete,” said Richard Aboulafia, Managing Director of Aerodynamics Advisory.