The Last 747 and where to get your jumbo jet fix

We’ve covered the merits of the Qantas 747 many a time here at Australian Aviation, but in brief, this plane not only brought everyday Australians to the world for the first time but brought the rest of the world Down Under. For many decades, the Qantas 747 was an Australian icon, synonymous with international travel for Australians. The Flying Kangaroo was a pioneer of the Boeing 747, becoming both an early adopter of the aircraft and one of its biggest champions on an international scale. Qantas made its first 747-200 order in 1967 and had its first jumbo jet in regular passenger service by 1971. Between 1971 and 2020, Qantas flew passengers on a total of 67 Boeing 747 jets of nearly every available variety.

However, modern aviation technologies saw the Boeing 747 fall out of favour with Qantas, alongside many passenger airlines worldwide. This process was drastically sped up by the COVID-19 pandemic, which decimated demand for long-haul passenger travel. With this, Qantas finally retired the jet in 2020, and shifted its focus to newer, more energy-efficient long-haul jets, like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350. Shortly after, Boeing announced that it would soon cease taking on new 747 orders, and end production of the jumbo jet for good.

However, fear not, dear reader —despite all this there is still plenty of opportunity for you to get your eyes on the Queen of the Skies. Of the 1,574 Boeing 747s ever produced, just under 500 remain in operation to this day. This figure might surprise you in this post-pandemic operating environment, however, thanks to its almighty size, the 747 continues to hold a very important role in the global aviation sphere: freight. In fact, today, 93 per cent of all 747 flights are cargo-only, with a steadily decreasing number of passenger-carrying jumbos remaining online.

Regardless, there are still numerous opportunities to get your eyes — or even your bum — on a Boeing 747 in 2023, some even on Australian soil on less! Let me tell you how.

Snap a 747 Down Under

Planespotters and 747 fans alike are given ample opportunity to spot and snap a 747 on Australian soil thanks to a weekly freight service to and from Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport performed by Cathay Pacific Cargo on its Boeing 747-8 freighter.

Since November 2016, a Cathay jumbo jet has touched down at Wellcamp Airport once a week to pick up fresh produce, including fruit and meat, from local Darling Downs businesses. The weekly service was placed on a brief hiatus during the pandemic, however was reinstated as of August 2022. Importantly, Sydneysiders and Melbournians can also catch sight of the Cathay Boeing 747F as Toowoomba marks the final stop on an inbound and outbound freight service also connecting Hong Kong, Sydney and Melbourne.

In more exciting news, Toowoomba could soon be home to even more 747s. Virgin Orbit announced in September 2022 that it will soon attempt to launch satellites into space via modified Boeing 747-400s out of Wellcamp Airport, with demonstrator flights slated to take off as soon as 2024.

Or around the globe

If you’re looking to head further afield, the best place in the world to spot numerous 747s would be Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is a global cargo hub, sitting comfortably between the US and Eurasia, and sees dozens, if not hundreds, of 747s each month. If Alaska isn’t quite your cup of tea, other major airports for 747-spotting include Seoul, Hong Kong, and somewhat oddly, Chicago.

Perhaps though, you’re looking for more than just a glimpse of the Queen and hope to soar across the world once again on the mighty 747. Unfortunately, options in this regard are now limited, with most passenger airlines opting to dramatically downsize from the jumbo. And yet, there are at least six airlines that continue to perform commercial flights on the four-engined planes, including Lufthansa, Korean Air, and Air China. Your best bet to get onboard is likely with Lufthansa, which continues to operate 26 daily flights on its 747 fleet, connecting its Frankfurt hub to 10 cities worldwide including Chicago, New York, Mexico City and Tokyo. Meanwhile, Korean Air performs daily passenger flights on its 747s from Seoul to both Atlanta and Honolulu.

Of course, these opportunities won’t stick around forever. Lufthansa has already flagged that it will move to retire its 747s when practical. However, its youngest jets — notably renowned for their decades-long durability — are just eight years old, and over half of Lufthansa’s fleet of 27 jumbo jets are under the age of 11, meaning they will be fit to fly for many years to come.

While we are all sad to see the end of the reign of the 747, we know for sure that the Queen of the Skies most certainly won’t soon be forgotten.