It's the end of an era: after the Airbus A380 went out of production, Boeing too today delivered the last example of its legendary 747, the giant of the skies that democratized air transport and made generations of people dream .
Thousands of former and current employees, customers and suppliers of the US group will today witness the delivery of the last 'Jumbo Jet', a 747-8 freighter, to the company Atlas Air in the plant in Everett, in the north-west of the United States.
By ceasing to produce the aircraft more than fifty years after its maiden flight and production of 1,574 examples, Boeing turned an important page in the history of civil aviation.
Due to its size, range and effectiveness, the Joe Sutter-designed 747 "allowed the middle class to venture out of Europe or the United States with ticket prices becoming more affordable, including during the crisis oil industry of the 1970s,” notes Michel Merluzeau, aeronautical expert for the AR studio, adding that the 747 has “opened up the world.”
Of the latest series, the 747-8, launched in 2005, Boeing sold only 48 passenger and 107 cargo versions.
In the summer of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the US group announced that it would cease production in 2022. The aircraft with the unmistakable dome - or 'hump' - which dominates the main deck, the raised head, the gigantic wings pushed by four engines, will fly for a few more decades, in particular, in the cargo version.
"It is a unique aircraft to transport large industrial pieces such as ship engines or drills in the oil industry," notes Merluzeau.
Aircraft of US presidents since 1990, the 747 will still continue to be in service for the holders of the White House for a few more years, with the famous title of ''Air Force One''.