The airlines both took delivery of their first 747s in 1971, marking almost 50 years of service.
KLM has yet to confirm or deny the story even though we’ve sent an inquiry to their media team.This type of Boeing transports all kinds of cargo: from small packages to large animals, like elephants or horses. That means KLM 747s should remain the sky for at least an extra year. It started with a rumor over two weeks ago that KLM would be retiring its 747 fleet early. The oldest 747 with KLM is nearly 29 years old. We’ve been flying with this type of aircraft since 1989, so that’s about 30 years! Last week, the airline EVA Air made the last flight of a 747, a freighter model. But KLM is deferring delivery of its first A350-900 until 2021. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. The plan was to fully retire this aircraft type by end of 2020, replacing it with Airbus A350-900s. The Amsterdam-based airline, which is the largest operator of the 747-400, the best-selling model of the 747, has not yet announced any official dates however. That means KLM 747s should remain the sky for at least an extra year.The 747-400 is not the only aircraft that will be mothballed. See So carriers are getting rid of the 747 even faster. As time passed, schedule data pointed to the rumor being true, with sources reporting that today’s flight of KL686 would be the final 747-400 passenger service operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Near to the end. And the AvGeek nostalgists that we are, we felt it was a departure worth commemorating. Long live the Queen!Live and Let's Fly is owned by Award Expert, LLC. According to We can expect some operators to be operating the jumbo jet for many more years as they utilize the much newer 747-8i. !And yes, if an opportunity presents itself to fly KLM’s 747-400 combi before she’s retired, I would love to, as that would pretty much allow me to have flown EVERY model of the 747 except the -300 and the -8i, including the spectacular 18+ hours between Athens, Greece and Johannesburg, South Africa via Lisbon, Portugal in 1st class where there were just three passengers, including a VIP who knew the crew well as a regular commuter on that flight, and it was a party like no other ever had before or since on the incredible 747-SP which to this day remains the best flight ever taken!So, with the -8i still likely doable for the foreseeable future (YAY! A small cubby, but that detail shows how special the 747 is. But KLM is deferring delivery of its first A350-900 until 2021. The last of the airline's 16 jumbo Boeing 747-400s flew to a desert retirement, ending travel operations by passenger airlines in the United States. The FAs and the Purser were wonderful. The plan was to fully retire this aircraft type by end of 2020, replacing it with Airbus A350-900s. The Points Guy will not sell your email. The global COVID-19 crisis has impacted aviation profoundly as airlines quickly adapt to crippling demand for air travel and a new reality of border restrictions, grounded jets and seeing sub 20 percent flight load factors. msn back to msn home news. It’s our only aircraft that carries both passengers and cargo. The specific 747 flying this journey is a 747-400M – also known as a “Combi” variant. COVID-19’s impact forced both airliners to bring up retirement dates as they looked to reduce capacity for the future.
Air France will also retire its six A340-300s by the end of 2020. The original plan as we reported last June, was to have all 747s phased out by 2021. PH-BFA is near 27 years of age. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. -KLM WebsitePH-BFT is nearly 23 years old and has been with KLM every since it was manufactured. It was on its way out in any case, killed off by big and more efficient twinjets like the Boeing 777 and A350, but the pandemic has really hastened the end of the airplane that The early retirement of the Dutch and Australian Jumbo Jets could be followed live on flight-tracking sites, and had been announced by enthusiasts on social media.Before the last landing of a KLM 747 with paying passengers, Qantas had flown its last 747 service Sunday, flight QF28 from Santiago de Chile, one of the According to a Qantas pilot, “the planes are being parked in storage.” There is currently no plan for any future use of the 747s, said the pilot, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely.
Please Support us by turning off your adblocker. KLM is giving the Queen of the Skies a reprieve. The Captain invited our son and us to visit the cockpit. KLM still maintains ten Boeing 747-400 jets in its fleet (Masakatsu Ukon) KLM has decided to anticipate the retirement of its last 10 Boeing 747-400. It’s our only aircraft that carries both passengers and cargo. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. The company has been flying the Boeing jet since 1992 when it received its first 747-400. The only exception to this is the airline’s fleet of 13 Airbus A330s in both the -200 and -300 variants. We’ve been flying with this type of aircraft since 1989, so that’s about 30 years!
Two major operators of the Boeing 747 have grounded the But that was before the coronavirus swept the world.Now, with passengers kept home by quarantine orders and airline fleets decimated around the world, no one needs anymore a giant jet with four engines that can fly 400 people. The Dutch airline KLM was already working towards a 2021 retirement for its 747-400s, but thanks to COVID the fleet was retired a few weeks ago. The 777-300ER actually carries the same number of passengers as the full-passenger version of KLM’s 747-400, which is 408.Interestingly, KLM has opted to go for a mostly-Boeing fleet – going from the small 737 up to the larger 777 and 787.