British Airways Retires All Boeing 747 Aircraft Early, Posting Photos to Commemorate

2020-07-25 | Airport Photography

COVID19 has had a catastrophic impact on the global aviation industry. The Boeing 747, deeply loved by aviation enthusiasts, could no longer withstand the strain. Airlines such as Qantas, British Airways, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic have successively announced the retirement of their Boeing 747 fleets. For example, this news: All British Airways Boeing 747 passenger aircraft retired early

British Airways announced on the 17th that due to the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacting the international aviation industry, superjumbo jets have no role to play, and it is preparing to retire its entire fleet of 31 Boeing 747 aircraft.
British Airways said in a statement sent to AFP: “It is with a heavy heart that we confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect. Due to the drastic downturn in global travel demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unlikely that our magnificent ‘Queen of the Skies’ will ever again provide commercial service for British Airways.”

Boeing launched the 747, a four-engine, twin-aisle passenger aircraft, in 1970. It was the world’s first wide-body civil aviation aircraft, capable of carrying 400 people. Known as the “Queen of the Skies” or the “Sky Giant,” it has dominated international air cargo and passenger operations for decades. As the UK’s flagship carrier, British Airways owns 31 Boeing 747s, the largest number in the international civil aviation industry.

British Airways had already planned to procure more modern, fuel-efficient models to gradually replace the Boeing 747, such as the Boeing 787 or the A350 produced by Airbus, with the original deadline for the retirement of the last Boeing 747 set for 2024.

Two years ago, I took photos of more than a dozen British Airways 747s at Heathrow Airport. Below, I am posting them by registration number as a tribute.

G-BNLK May 1990-Jan 2019 Disassembled