Boeing to halt production of 747 jumbo jet after 50-year run
US airplane manufacturer Boeing will cease production of its 747 jumbo jet in 2022, the company announced on Wednesday, retiring the iconic passenger aircraft after over 50 years of service amid a coronavirus-induced crisis in the aviation industry.
The first airplane to be dubbed a “jumbo jet,” the plane with the signature hump could accommodate over 600 people. The 747 made its maiden voyage in 1969.
Such large planes have become increasingly unprofitable for airlines struggling with the high cost of jet fuel, when smaller jets can provide greater flexibility with lower overhead.
Europe-based Boeing competitor Airbus last year had announced it was ending the use of its giant A380, the aircraft that had toppled the Boeing 747 as the world’s largest passenger aircraft. However, unlike the half-century run for the successful jumbo jet, selling over 1,500 models, Airbus sold fewer than 250 A380s and pulled the plug after just 15 years — the sort of production run you would expect for a car, not a plane.
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Boeing 747 set for retirement: Goodbye to the original jumbo jet?
Long-haul icon to be retired
Over the past five decades, Boeing’s double-decker 747 jetliner has helped revolutionize global air travel. The invention of the huge jumbo jet allowed the expansion of giant hub airports, where passengers could easily make long-haul journeys and then connect to regional airports on smaller planes.
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Boeing 747 set for retirement: Goodbye to the original jumbo jet?
Growth impaired by oil crisis
The long-range, wide-body jetliner entered service on January 21, 1970. US airline Pan Am bought 25 planes and got to make the first commercial voyage from New York to London. However, shortly after launch, a severe recession and the 1973 oil crisis put a lid on orders for the jet and several airlines grounded their 747s as they were too costly to fly.
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Boeing 747 set for retirement: Goodbye to the original jumbo jet?
Traveling in style
The 747 was not only praised for its technical innovations, it also stood for glamor. With a lounge serving cocktails, it promised a sleek and relaxed travel experience. At more than 70 meters (230 feet) long and with a wingspan of almost 60 meters, it offered space for between 366 and 550 passengers, depending on how the seats were arranged.
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Boeing 747 set for retirement: Goodbye to the original jumbo jet?
Crashes and hijackings hurt reputation
The jumbo did have its fair share of disasters, including a bomb explosion on Pan Am flight 103 in December 1988 which killed 270 people over the small town of Lockerbie in Scotland. In 1986, a Pan Am jet was hijacked by four Palestinian men and flown to Frankfurt. Pictured above is the wreckage of two 747s, which collided in March 1977 at an airport in Tenerife, killing 583 passengers and crew.
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Boeing 747 set for retirement: Goodbye to the original jumbo jet?
Stretched and reengineered
The latest passenger edition, the 747-8 series, was launched in 2012. The first 8 Intercontinental was delivered to German flag carrier Lufthansa. It can carry 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration and has a range of 7,730 nautical miles (14,310 kilometers). The series is also available in variants for government and military use, including Air Force One for the US president.
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Boeing 747 set for retirement: Goodbye to the original jumbo jet?
Now a flying dinosaur
Like the even bigger Airbus A380 (in the foreground), the 747 no longer meets the economic requirements of airlines that prefer long-haul, dual-engine aircraft such as the A350 or the Boeing 777 and 787. In the past year, there were only 20 or so outstanding orders for the 747, all of them for freight carriers.
Read more: Last Qantas 747 traces kangaroo flight path on farewell trip
Dismal quarterly results
Boeing bundled the official announcement with news of the company’s dismal second quarter performance.
Losses fell to $2.4 billion in the second quarter of 2020, Boeing reported on Wednesday, worse than investors had expected.
“The reality is the pandemic’s impact on the aviation sector continues to be severe,” CEO David Calhoun said. “This pressure on our commercial customers means they are delaying jet purchases, slowing deliveries, deferring elective maintenance, retiring older aircraft and reducing spending — all of which affects our business and, ultimately, our bottom line.”
Read more: Boeing, battered even before coronavirus, restarts in survival mode
Hints of more layoffs
Boeing also said it plans to slow production of other models, delay an increase in output of its embattled 737 Max, and delay by one year until 2022 the introduction of a new large plane, the 777X.
The company is in still carrying out layoffs announced earlier this year, when it said it would reduce its workforce by 10%, or roughly 16,000 jobs.
Calhoun said Wednesday that the poor second quarter performance “means we’ll have to further assess the size of our workforce.”
The International Air Transport Association, an American industry trade group, on Tuesday said it didn’t expect air travel to recover to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024. It cited the inability of the United States and developing countries to contain the outbreak.
Read more: Airbus to cut 15,000 jobs due to coronavirus setback
kp/msh (AFP, AP)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/boeing-to-halt-production-of-747-jumbo-jet-after-50-year-run/a-54369579?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf