Boeing says goodbye to icon and delivers last 747 jet

The aviation industry witnessed the end of an era on Tuesday as Boeing made the final delivery of its iconic 747 jumbo jet.

Nicknamed the whale for its characteristic hump and officially known as the Queen of the Sky, the famous aircraft has been in service since 1970.

It has traveled tens of millions of miles carrying passengers around the world and will even be modified to carry the president aboard Air Force One.

The Boeing 747 was taken out of service by US carriers in 2017, although some are still in use overseas.

It remained in service as a cargo aircraft, and the last 1574, a Model 747-8 Freighter, was delivered to Atlas Air in Boeing’s hometown of Everett, Washington.

Thousands of current and former Boeing employees, customers and suppliers gathered to celebrate the final delivery.

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“I know this is a very emotional experience for many of the current team and many who have been with the program for many decades,” Kim Smith, Boeing 747 and 767 vice president and general program manager, told Reuters.

Developed in the late 1960s, the first 747 debuted for the now-defunct Pan Am in 1970. The wide body jet was designed to facilitate larger passenger flights during the boom in air travel at the time.

It took Boeing only 28 months to design and build the 747, which at the time of its debut was the world’s first twin-body aircraft. The model was produced for a long time at the same Boeing plant in Everett.

The new aircraft models, made by Boeing and its Netherlands-based competitor Airbus, are more fuel efficient than the 747 and use two engines instead of four.

“If you love this business, you dreaded this moment,” aviation analyst Richard Abulafia told The Associated Press. “No one wants a four-engine airliner anymore, but that doesn’t detract from the huge contribution the aircraft has made to the industry or its remarkable legacy.”

Production of the 747 has slowed in recent years due to falling demand. Boeing delivered just five aircraft last year, well short of a peak of 70 aircraft in 1990.

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Smith said Boeing employees working on production were either reassigned or voluntarily quit.

However, Boeing 747-9 aircraft are expected to remain in service as cargo aircraft for the next few years.

Modified versions of two Boeing 747s will replace the White House’s Air Force One. Aircraft are designed for delivery in 2024 under a $3.9 billion contract.

The Boeing 777X, its latest passenger jet model and intended replacement for the Boeing 747, is due for delivery in 2025.