The last Boeing 747 jumbo jet has left the factory in Seattle and is now owned by an American cargo company. The famous airplane, often called the Queen of the Skies, was produced for over 50 years. The first jet left the production lines in 1969.
The 747 was a revolutionary airplane with four engines. It could carry almost 500 passengers. The jumbo jet helped bring air travel to the masses with affordable prices. In the last few years airlines have replaced it with smaller, more fuel-efficient planes. During the pandemic, passenger travel nearly came to a complete halt.
While there are still over 300 cargo planes in operation today, only 44 Boeing 747 passenger planes are up in the skies.
The Boeing 747 has been in service as the American president’s Air Force One since 1990. It also piggybacked space shuttles from their landing sites back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Image : San Diego Air and Space Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
