The final 747: Boeing delivers the last of its iconic jumbo jets

The end of an era. The passing of an icon. The last of a legend. On Tuesday, the last 747 jumbo jet to ever be built is set for delivery.

You may dismiss such statements as hyperbole, but — in aviation and travel circles, at least — that’s not the case.

“There is a reason it is commercial aviation legend. There is a reason it is regarded as the 'Queen of the Skies,'” Henry Harteveldt, founder of the Atmosphere Research Group and longtime follower of the aviation industry, said.

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He pointed to the myriad ways the plane — the world’s first jumbo jet — helped usher in the modern era of air travel.

“It was the first wide-body jet created,” Harteveldt said, ticking off superlatives about the plane. “And its design was distinctive. Even the most casual traveler knew what the 747 was.”

However, the era of the 747 is set to recede.

When cargo carrier Atlas Air takes the proverbial keys to its 747-8 Freighter this Tuesday, there’ll never be another. The aircraft — tail number N863GT — will go down in history as the 1,574th and last 747 to ever be built.

A magical AvGeek experience: Flying on the Lufthansa Boeing 747-8's upper deck

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When it first entered commercial airline service for Pan Am in 1970, the jet’s humped double-deck design was a technological marvel. The 747 became the world’s first twin-aisle “wide-body” passenger plane, its upper deck creating an unmistakable silhouette that’s practically become synonymous with air travel itself.

The plane's impact went far beyond that, though.

Its ability to fly intercontinental routes with a capacity of more than 400 passengers helped democratize long-haul air travel. This paved the way to making overseas air travel accessible to the masses.

“It was an airplane that helped airlines bring down their operating costs, which in turn allowed them to more easily offer lower fares [and] allow more people to travel,” Harteveldt said about how the jet opened up overseas air travel to large swaths of the population.

Richard Aboulafia, managing director of the AeroDynamic Advisory aerospace consulting firm and another longtime industry follower, agreed that the end of the 747 line marks a significant milepost in modern aviation.

He also believes that the 747 helped democratize air travel, but takes a contrarian approach about how it did so.

“It did democratize, but people drew the wrong lesson,” he said. He argued it wasn’t the plane's capacity but rather the introduction of high-bypass turbo fans – or the powerful jet engines that have since become the industry standard in powering modern jetliners — that made history.

Whatever the reason, the 747 became an industry icon.

For more than 50 years, Boeing continued to crank out new 747s to whisk travelers around the globe on long-haul flights.

The 747 also became a prolific cargo aircraft, designed with a nose cone that lifts up to open the front of the plane for the loading of freight and oversized pallets. Cargo carriers worldwide – including Atlas, the carrier taking Tuesday’s final delivery — added the jet to their fleets too.

The final passenger version of the 747 was delivered nearly six years ago. It went to Korean Air in 2017 — signaling that time and 21st-century economics were finally catching up with the 747.

The newest wide-body jets that fly long intercontinental routes have two engines, allowing greater fuel efficiency than the four-engined 747. Production of the Airbus A380 and A340, the other major commercial passenger wide-bodies with four engines also have ended, with the A380 winding down most recently in 2021 after the A340 a decade earlier.

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Aside from fuel efficiency, Aboulafia also noted the huge strides in engine technology that have allowed two-engine planes to fly on long overwater routes farther away from diversion airports — opening up more direct routes across the Atlantic and Pacific.

“It’s kind of extraordinary. When I started my career in the '80s, flying two engines over a lake was controversial,” he said with a chuckle, noting his exaggeration.

“I'm not sure anyone correctly predicted just how reliable and powerful turbines would become maybe powerful," Aboulafia said. "And [on extended overwater flights] these days, no one gives it a second thought. Nobody.”

Now, the 747 seems as though it will be the last large four-engine passenger jet to be produced.

For Boeing, the loss of the 747 from its passenger plane lineup will likely accelerate a trend toward producing planes like the 777 that had already been underway.

Boeing’s upcoming update to the plane — the 777X, noteworthy thanks to its folding wingtips — will boost capacity by about 50 passengers. However, that variant now is not expected to arrive at airlines until 2025 — about five years later than expected.

“The 777-9X is going to have very similar capabilities with much better economics,” Aboulafia said.

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The 747 won’t disappear immediately

While the 747 is now out of production, the jet will still grace airports worldwide for at least a decade to come.

That’s because the lifespan of a 747 can be as long as 20 or 25 years.

Today, there are roughly 300 freighter versions still in service around the world.

Aviation enthusiasts hoping to fly on the passenger version of the 747 still have options, though they’re dwindling. Only about four dozen planes remain in passenger service, and they are split among just four passenger airlines.

Lufthansa is by far the largest remaining jumbo operator with regular passenger service. The German flag carrier has 27 747s in its fleet — a mix of the older 747-400 variant and the newest 747-8.

The three remaining passenger carriers with 747s still in their fleets are all in Asia, and each has a relatively small number. Air China has 10 747s remaining in its fleet while Korean Air has nine. Korea’s Asiana Airlines has just one left in its fleet. Combined, the four airlines flew more than 1,100 flights on the aircraft in 2022, according to flight data firm Cirium.

No U.S. airline has operated the 747 since Delta Air Lines and United Airlines each retired their models in 2017.

Now, as the 747s still left at other carriers begin to age, they’ll eventually start to retire.

Once they do fade away, aviation enthusiasts will surely miss the 747.

“Anybody with a soul who loves this business is going to feel it’s sad,” Aboulafia said.

Harteveldt shared a similar sentiment, noting the plane seemed to resonate with everyone from novice flyers to diehard enthusiasts. He said simply that “the 747 created its own magic with travelers.”

For Tuesday, though, there’ll be one more opportunity to fete the plane as it begins its slow fade into the history books.