took off on its maiden flight in 1969 and changed the world of aviation.
Boeing 747 airplane (Photo: ShutterStock)
The last Boeing 747, in the transport version, came off the production line in Washington yesterday (Tuesday), and will be delivered to the cargo company Atlas Air, which ordered 14 units of it.
This, after about 50 years that it became dominant in the industry but due to the changes and development - will fall out of use.
For many years it was difficult to imagine commercial aviation without the Boeing 747, which took off for its maiden flight in 1969 and changed the world of aviation as the first wide-body aircraft, with more than one passenger aisle, and with the ability to carry around 500 people at once for a trans-Atlantic distance.
The hump created by its second floor became the hallmark of long-haul flights, and Boeing's dominance in the field.
In 1990, more than twenty years after entering service, the 747 fleet still carried almost 30% of passengers on international routes.
Its cargo version was then responsible for transporting more than 70% of air cargo.
But in 2022, only 109 planes remain in service in the passenger version, which flew only 2% of international passengers this year.
The cargo version has dropped to 21% of its range.
But times have changed.
The 747 was developed in the 1960s with the idea that the airlines would use it to transport passengers to the huge airports, from where they would take off on connecting flights to their final destination.
But more and more passengers preferred direct flights to their destinations, and the continued rise in oil prices also pushed up jet fuel prices and operating costs for the giant four-engine plane.
50 years of the Boeing 747
In an attempt to postpone the end, in 2005 Boeing launched its latest version, the 747-800, with a length that grew to 76.5 meters, a wingspan of 68 meters and an elongated second floor.
Boeing settled for a new version of the old plane after recognizing the change in the market.
Airbus, which insisted on launching a huge new and expensive plane, the A380, had to stop its production already last year after 18 years and only 254 planes, with huge losses.
Boeing was able to extend the production of the 747 for 53 years, and to 1,574 aircraft, of which 155 are of the latest version.
Most of the airlines that have purchased 747s over the years have already grounded it, including El Al, which operated jumbo jets for 48 years, until 2019. Currently, only 747s arrive in Israel on cargo flights, and the Airports Authority intends to prohibit them from landing at the field next year due to the noise The rabbi they create.
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Most airlines that have purchased a 747 over the years have already grounded it.
El Al's Boeing 747 (Photo: GettyImages, David Silverman)
But the 747 will be around for many years.
In 2024, whoever will then be the President of the United States will receive the new Air Force aircraft, a pair of second-hand 747-800 aircraft, which will replace a pair of 32-year-old 747-200 aircraft.
Boeing is now winding up two planes ordered by bankrupt Russian airline Transair, awaiting a buyer.
Donald Trump, who attacked his predecessor Barack Obama for the decision to purchase them, decided to save and cancel the order for a pair of new jumbos and to convert the two planes that were waiting for a buyer into a presidential aircraft version. The decision saved the American taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars, but because of it the new planes will not have the ability Refueling in the air, which sleepers have. Thus, the American government will pay Boeing $1.9 billion for the two planes, while the company claims it will lose $600 million on the project. They are expected to serve the president at least until 2050, after the 747 celebrates 80 years in the air.
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