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Can The Boeing 747 Remain A Flagship?
Is the Very Large Aircraft market a thing of the past?
Jul 21, 2014Pierre Sparaco | Aviation Week & Space Technology
The formidable Boeing 747 remains a world-class player in the airline industry 44 years after it entered service in Pan American World Airways livery. The 1,500th 747 was delivered late last month toLufthansa; it was the 75th model for the carrier that helped launch the type in the late 1960s. No other widebody has reached this production milestone, an achievement that deserves more media attention at a time when small and medium-size airliners seem to be on the ascent.
It is unusual to be able to celebrate a specific aircraft type more than four decades after the MSN 1 rollout and while production is still ongoing. Although only six 747-8Is were delivered during this year’s first half and the production rate is at its lowest point, this doesn’t mean the 747 is approaching the end of its industrial life. It remains a class in itself, despite competition from the Airbus A380 and the impending stretched-fuselage777X.
The launch of the 747 opened a new chapter in the airline industry’s saga. The October 1968 rollout ceremony, attended by an admiring crowd, marked the emergence of a commercial transport of unprecedented dimensions, and thousands of visitors circled the “Jumbo Jet” at the 1969 Paris air show, where it dominated the static display and signaled the dawn of a new era of travel for the masses.
Is the Very Large Aircraft market a thing of the past?
Jul 21, 2014Pierre Sparaco | Aviation Week & Space Technology
The formidable Boeing 747 remains a world-class player in the airline industry 44 years after it entered service in Pan American World Airways livery. The 1,500th 747 was delivered late last month toLufthansa; it was the 75th model for the carrier that helped launch the type in the late 1960s. No other widebody has reached this production milestone, an achievement that deserves more media attention at a time when small and medium-size airliners seem to be on the ascent.
It is unusual to be able to celebrate a specific aircraft type more than four decades after the MSN 1 rollout and while production is still ongoing. Although only six 747-8Is were delivered during this year’s first half and the production rate is at its lowest point, this doesn’t mean the 747 is approaching the end of its industrial life. It remains a class in itself, despite competition from the Airbus A380 and the impending stretched-fuselage777X.
The launch of the 747 opened a new chapter in the airline industry’s saga. The October 1968 rollout ceremony, attended by an admiring crowd, marked the emergence of a commercial transport of unprecedented dimensions, and thousands of visitors circled the “Jumbo Jet” at the 1969 Paris air show, where it dominated the static display and signaled the dawn of a new era of travel for the masses.
