End of an period: Boeing simply completed constructing the ultimate 747

The Wright brothers’ first flight. The first transatlantic journey. The invention of the jet engine. The introduction of the Boeing 747.

Few moments in business aviation historical past have had as huge an influence as Boeing’s jumbo jet: It first flew in 1969 and entered service a 12 months later with the now-inoperative U.S. provider Pan Am. The first wide-body passenger aircraft and a defining icon of the golden age of journey, the double-decker unlocked routes, continents and new economics for the airline business; it additionally allowed carriers to introduce unparalleled ranges of luxurious.

Want extra airline-specific information? Sign up for TPG’s free new biweekly Aviation publication.

After greater than 50 years, the “queen of the skies” has reached the tip of its reign. Boeing this week rolled the ultimate double-decker out of its meeting hanger in Everett, Washington, closing a manufacturing line that has been at work since 1967.

The aircraft, a 747-8 Freighter with the tail quantity N863GT, is Boeing’s 1,574th 747, and it will likely be delivered to cargo airline Atlas Air in early 2023. Atlas Air obtained the second-to-last 747 in October, too — tail quantity N861GT. TPG had an opportunity to see that airframe on the meeting line in June throughout a tour of Boeing amenities.

“For greater than half a century, tens of 1000’s of devoted Boeing workers have designed and constructed this magnificent airplane that has actually modified the world,” Kim Smith, Boeing’s vice chairman and common supervisor of the 747 and 767 packages, mentioned in an announcement.

“We are proud that this aircraft will proceed to fly throughout the globe for years to come back,” Smith added.

While the 747 continues to be optimum for freight carriers, its utility for passenger airways has diminished not too long ago. With 4 engines, the aircraft is costlier to function than narrow-body planes like Boeing’s 777 or 787. For this cause, many airways retired their 747 fleets in the course of the 2010s and 2020s, with some plans accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines each retired their 747s in 2017.

Boeing’s final passenger 747 was delivered to Korean Air in 2017. Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China nonetheless fly passenger variations of the jets.

Two army variants of the 747-200 — the VC-25A — function Air Force One. Two substitute VC-25Bs, primarily based on the 747-8, have been constructed and are anticipated to be delivered to the U.S. authorities round 2026 or 2027.

The 747-8 — at 250 ft and a pair of inches — is the longest business airplane in service. The Freighter has a cargo payload of 133.1 tons, Boeing says — sufficient to hold 10,699 strong gold bars or, if somebody is so inclined, about 19 million golf balls.