First Qantas Boeing 747 makes historic final landing (2024)

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What happened to the first Qantas 747? ›

After protracted discussions leading up to its retirement from commercial service, Qantas and HARS came to an agreement whereby the aircraft would be flown to HARS' site in Albion Park, where museum staff, along with a number of present and former Qantas employees, would preserve the 747 and put it on display to the ...

Last Qantas 747 lands in Californian desert

After taking off from Sydney Airport on Friday, the plane has arrived at an airstrip and boneyard in the Mojave desert in California. Captain Sharell Quinn, led the veteran crew who flew the plane's final journey.

Planning for eventual donation to the Museum began in the mid-1980s. The aircraft's final flight occurred on April 6, 1995, when Boeing officially donated RA001 to the Museum after 5,300 flight hours. Still configured in its flight test configuration, it was extensively restored in 2013 and 2014.

'Queen of the Skies'

“It replaced the 707, which was a huge leap forward in itself but didn't have the sheer size and scale to lower airfares the way the 747 did.” The airline plans to downsize, prioritizing more fuel efficient aircraft.

Qantas retired the last of its 747s in 2020, along with British Airways and KLM, several years after most US, Asian and European airlines had already put theirs out to pasture.

The oldest aircraft in the mainline Qantas fleet, Boeing 747-438 VH-OJM, has been retired, operating its last revenue flight on Sunday. VH-OJM Gosford operated QF73 from Sydney to San Francisco, the 13 hour flight departing just before 1:15pm on Sunday.

The Qantas 747 has already been replaced. It's replacement is the 787–9 really. Smaller capacity sure, but far more efficient and an even longer range than the 747. “But the 787 is way smaller!” you might say.

Qantas 747-400 City of Canberra (VH-OJA) flew from London to Sydney non-stop during its 1989 promotional flight, flying 17,000 kilometers in about 20 hours.

The oldest active 747 aircraft today

The aircraft was built on 13th June 1973 and is 49.81 years old at the time of writing. The oldest passenger aircraft in commercial operation is a Boeing 747-400 EP-MEE (SN 24383) operated by Mahan Air, a privately owned Iranian airline.

With its impressive size and graceful appearance, the 747, known as the “Queen of the Skies,” has been one of the most recognizable and versatile aircraft since its first flight in 1969.

How many 747s have crashed? ›

The main appeal of the 747-400 like its predecessors was its range rather than its capacity, and in most cases it has been replaced by wide-body twin-engine aircraft of similar range, such as the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

But over the last few decades, airlines have pushed aircraft manufacturers for more fuel-efficient planes to reduce costs. Two-engine jets can now fly near the same capacity and fly farther than older, four-engine planes like Boeing's 747 and the Airbus A380.

The 747-400F flight control system automatically manages all phases of the flight except take-off. There are four main fuel tanks in the wings, a tail plane tank, a center wing tank, and reserve fuel tanks in the outer wing sections. The maximum fuel capacity is 216,846 L (57,284 gal.).

Freighter variants of the 747 remain popular with cargo airlines. The final 747 was delivered to Atlas Air in January 2023 after a 54-year production run, with 1,574 aircraft built. As of December 2023, 64 Boeing 747s (4.1%) have been lost in accidents and incidents, in which a total of 3,746 people have died.

Qantas 1 (QF1, QFA1) was a Qantas passenger flight between Sydney and London that was involved in a runway overrun accident at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok on 23 September 1999 as it was landing for a stopover. VH-OJH, the aircraft involved in the accident, eight years later. IATA flight No.

The Boeing 747, with its four engines, is being phased out in favour of twin-engine jets that are not only cheaper to operate but also significantly reduce fuel consumption—a crucial factor amid rising fuel costs and increased environmental regulations.

The Airport 75 747 was an AA aircraft. The plane was eventually purchased by UPS for use as a freighter and I believe that it is still flying.