Boeing celebrated the Queen of the skies as it left for delivery Tuesday with a ceremony, honoring the historic crew who built the first 747 and the history and impact of the world’s first twin-aisle airplane. The last Boeing 747 left its facility and is on its way to delivery to Atlas Air.
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The final Boeing 747 leaves its facility
The celebration of the final delivery of this landmark aircraft was celebrated by thousands, including current and former employees, customers and suppliers. Production began in 1967 with a team known as “the Incredibles” who returned to be honored at the Everett factory, where it all began. The factory produced 1,574 airplanes in the entirety of the program
“This monumental day is a testament to the generations of Boeing employees who brought to life the airplane that ‘shrank the world,’ and revolutionized travel and air cargo as the first widebody,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “It is fitting to deliver this final 747-8 Freighter to the largest operator of the 747, Atlas Air, where the ‘Queen’ will continue to inspire and empower innovation in air cargo.”
The 747 has had a long history in the industry, enabling airlines to transport passengers across long distances and enabling non-stop trans-oceanic flights. The jumbo aircraft had many achievements in its run and multiple variations have since developed, like the 747-8, which launched in 2005 and began production in 2008.
The plane is going to Atlas Air, a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, the last of four new Boeing-8 Freighters ordered by the company in January 2021. The aircraft will be operated by Apex Logistics, a Kuehne + Nagel company, with a long-term agreement.
“Our company’s history and success are directly linked to the 747 platform, and we are honored to continue our long history of flying this iconic aircraft for our customers around the world,” President and CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide John Dietrich said. “Atlas Air was founded over 30 years ago with a single 747-200 converted freighter. Since then, we have spanned the globe operating the 747 into well over 800 airports in over 170 countries with nearly every series of the aircraft, including Boeing’s 747 Large Cargo Freighter for the transport of 787 Dreamliner parts.”
“As the world’s largest operator of 747 freighters, Atlas is especially proud to take the last 747 ever to be built.,” Dietrich said. “We are grateful to Boeing for their shared commitment to safety, quality, innovation and the environment, and for their partnership to ensure the continued success of the 747 program as we operate the aircraft for decades to come.”
The plane made a crown and 747 on its flight to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG). The delivery was tracked by over 40,000 people on Flightradar24 as it finished the crown, ranking #1 worldwide as the plane made its final touches on the honorific design.
The most tracked plane of all time followed another queen in the sky. Guinness World Records confirmed that there were 4.79 million people tracking on Flightradar24 as the ZZ177 RAF Boeing C-17A Globemaster III carried Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from Edinburgh, Scotland to London, England on Sep. 13, 2022.
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