The coronavirus pandemic prompted British Airways to speed up the scrapping of its 31-strong 747 fleet.

And the first of its last remaining jumbos to be retired was pictured taking off from Heathrow Airport today on its final journey.

It flew empty to Spain where it will be scrapped.




https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-8639177/amp/British-Airways-747-Covid-19-retirement-plan-gets-underway-Heathrow-Airport.html

Last Flight: The retiring aircraft gets airborne to scrapyard, 18 August, 2020.

It first entered service in 1994 and flew its last passenger service in April, 2020.

Its top speed is 565mph and it has a take-off speed of 180mph.

It is 231ft (70.6 metres) long, 63ft (19.41 metres) high and has a wingspan of 211ft (64.4 metres).

It is fitted with four Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines.

British Airways estimates that the aircraft has flown for 115,276 hours on 13,364 flights.

Aviation enthusiasts gathered near Heathrow today to get one last glimpse and snap one last picture of the aircraft.

First ever Boeing 747 rolled off the production line at the Boeing plant in Washington state, all of the company's employees gathered on the tarmac to celebrate their achievement in the 60s.

Don't be surprised if you see this plane in Nigeria few months from now

May 1970: The arrival of the first Boeing 747 at London's Heathrow Airport.

First class cabin in 1971.

Wow! Cool

This picture shows a 747 on the tarmac in January 1970 in New York ahead of the model's first commercial flight.

In the foreground are the flight crew and some of the cabin crew that made the historic journey.

Pilot in the cockpit.


Both Pan Am and Air France Boeing 747s line up around a terminal at Paris Orly Airport in April 1970.

Those are the kind of planes our government buy here and celebrate

Undated file photo shows a Boeing 747 on the production-line at the wing fuselage join stage.


The Space Shuttle Discovery is lifted into the air while sitting on top of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in 1995.



Delta Airline retire 747 fleet in 2018. Some are pictured sitting at Arizona boneyard waiting to be scrapped.

I hope Nigeria won't go and buy them. I don't trust this my country me.

o boy dis plane done chop life oo

You're still the master anyday for epic topics

Wow
Great explorer

Explorer ni jor.

fp things.

Damn nigga


isoright


if only this was flown to my garage, I for don stop take weed for life be that. but as a real nigga wey no get money to buy wetin go make am high and also fit make am crash (plane), I still have the real shit I take any time I wanna go high than all planes in the world.

oh my MJ, I'll forever be faithful to u

Imustreturn:


I hope Nigeria won't go and buy them. I don't trust this my country me.

From the scrapyard?

That plane go enter naija as tokumbo.. Mafo... First body

WoW! This plane don really work no be small. Within 26 years the plane don fly 13,000+ flights. Nawa o.

Abeg go rest abeg!

Atleast the white knows when to let go.

If na Nigeria, until that plane crash dem no go leave am!

Nigeria man go say “you Dey craze? Retire where? You know how much we spend to buy you? Your real father!

Explorers it’s been a long time
Very unusual
Hope you are fine brother

Make Naija no buy am o. Na my major concern be that.

it has lived its cycle


hope them no go repaint am bring come here

Abeg, the plane shouldn't retire yet oh.


E get one last journey to make oh..

Abeg, make the plane con pack us comot for naija oh..before retiring to scrapyard.Biko.


#Naija don tired us.

We don't mind if it even come in disguise like Lala_Airways.

tillaman:
Explorers it’s been a long time
Very unusual
Hope you are fine brother

Cool bro.

Explorer the Explorer... Greetings from this side

Lalasticlala. Explorer don done another one

Good stuff

Last Flight: The retiring aircraft gets airborne to scrapyard, 18 August, 2020.

It first entered service in 1994 and flew its last passenger service in April, 2020.

Nice one!

thesicilian:
Don't be surprised if you see this plane in Nigeria few months from now

Many people just comment waaaaaa without first understanding.

These aircrafts are being retired early because it is not economically profitable to fly these jumbo jets anymore.

Airline companies are migrating to more fuel efficient aircraft's which saves money on fuel and those are twin engine aircrafts and not 4 engine aircrafts.

This jumbo jets have seating capacity of 400 to 500 seats. To be economically profitable it means any time the plane flies it has to sell out all its seats to passengers (or minimum of 80%) which is impossible and that reduces the profit made unlike twin engine aircraft's that have seating capacity of 80-200 which are easier to fill.

The cost of maintenance is also higher for 4 aircraft's engines than twin engines which increases their overhead cost.

The number of aircraft crews are more for 4 aircraft engines than twin engine aircrafts which adds more personnel cost.

4 aircraft engines cannot also land on airports with short runways, so it is best suited for standard international airports and not a local airport etc.

So based on the above it doesn't make economic sense for Nigerian airlines to buy and operate these jumbo 4 engines aircraft in Nigeria as they will make more money on twin engine aircraft which are smaller and more efficient, even if they can afford it.

chelseamann:
Those are the kind of planes our government buy here and celebrate

Just open mouth waaaaaa. It's a magnificent plane, in design and engineering. It's just not economically prudent anymore to own the "Queen of the skies" AKA Boeing 747 anymore.