The demise of the Boeing 747 is a sign of changing flight patterns
Boeing’s most famous plane is much-loved by pilots, but as orders fall, how much longer will we see it in the skies?
Dreamed up in another age, the 747 was in the skies before Concorde, before man reached the moon, and when the president of the United States was a child. Boeing’s most famous plane has been up there ever since, redefining the language of aviation as the original jumbo jet, carrying twice as many passengers as most other aircraft. Hundreds criss-cross the globe every day, and new 747s still slowly gestate on the production line. But it is now almost 18 months since the last order from a passenger airline, and the long flight of the 747 appears to be firmly in its descent.
Boeing insists it has a future: even the president still wants it, for a revamped Air Force One. But, White House aside, its demise has been long-signalled after more than 1,500 orders since it first entered service in 1970.
Source: Guardian Transport
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