The End of Boeing 747 - Last Iconic Boeing 747 Rolled off the Assembly Line

● After 55 years production of the 747 ceases
● A proud history as a cargo plane, a groundbreaking commercial aircraft, a transport for NASA’s also iconic space shuttles, and long service as Air Force One
● Also known as the ‘Queen of the Skies’ the 747 ushered in the era of mass leisure and business travel

The last 747 outside the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

---

The Beginning of the End for an Icon – Boeing Delivers last 747

The last of the magnificent 747 variants was delivered to cargo carrier Atlas Air on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. No more will one of the most iconic airplanes of the 21st century roll off the assembly line.

For many of the workers who helped bring the 747 dream to life again and again during its 55 year reign it was an emotional moment. Even John Travolta, himself a 747 pilot, was at hand to bid the final 747 farewell as it headed off to grace the skies with a silhouette that will, within a few decades, be only a memory.

Many could not hold back the tears as the last in a long line of 747s stood awaiting delivery to its buyer.

The unmistakable 225 feet (68.5 meters) long 747, with its multi-deck design, a tail as tall as a six-story building and four long-range engines was finally doomed by the plunge in demand for 4 engine passenger jets. With European manufacturer Airbus, and Boeing focusing efforts on the development of ever more fuel efficient wide-body aircraft the days of the gas-guzzling 747 were numbered.

The development of the first 747, designed to use the engines designed for Boeings unsuccessful bid for the military C-5A took the Boeing 747 team only 16 months – and this timeframe included the construction of the gargantuan factory in Everett, north of Seattle in the U.S.

In 1970 a Pan-Am 747 made the aircraft’s maiden voyage, flying the New York-London route. It was under threat almost as soon as the plane landed at JFK, the oil crisis of 1973 nearly spelling the end for the thirsty aircraft. However, the 747 toughed it out – and airlines figured out how to best use it. If they couldn’t fill it at current prices – then they’d sell all the seats at a rate that everyman could afford.
Or they’d make sue of the 747s party trick – the ability to load cargo through the nose cone.

The 747 weathered economic downturns, global conflict and political upheaval. It was perhaps the most iconic aircraft of the 21st century – and many will miss its immense presence.