Issue 258: A Classic Departs

Qantas retires the 747 ‘Classic’

Tuesday January 20 saw the end of an era in Australian commercial aviation with the departure from Australia of Qantas’s last ‘Classic’ 747-300.

Qantas personnel who had worked on or with the Classic gathered along the fence line next to Sydney Airport’s old control tower beach along with a group of enthusiasts and spotters to farewell 747-338 VH-EBV City of Geraldton when it departed at 7:45pm for Honolulu. The aircraft then continued on to the desert ‘boneyard’ at Pinal Airpark at Marana near Tucson in Arizona to join its sisters, VH-EBY City of Mildura, and VH-EBW City of Tamworth in storage, and VH-EBX City of Wodonga which was sold late last year to Pinal-based Evergreen International.