British Airways retires entire 747 fleet after travel downturn

British Airways has said it will retire all of its Boeing 747s as it suffers from the sharp travel downturn.

The UK airline is the world's largest operator of the jumbo jets, with 31 in the fleet.

"It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect," a BA spokesman told the BBC.

Airlines across the world have been hit hard by coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

"It is unlikely our magnificent 'queen of the skies' will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic," the spokesman added.

BA, which is owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), said the planes will all be retired with immediate effect. The 747s represent about 10% of BA's total fleet.

The first Boeing 747 flight took place in February 1969 It was the first aeroplane dubbed a "jumbo jet" BOAC, British Airways' predecessor, operated its first 747 flight, flying from London to New York, in 1971 Fastest operating commercial plane, with a top speed of just over 650mph 3.5 billion passengers transported in 50 years First plane to fly London to Sydney non-stop in 1989.

It had planned on retiring the planes in 2024 but has brought forward the date due to the downturn. According to travel data firm Cirium there are about 500 747s still in service, of which 30 are actively flying passengers. More than 300 fly cargo and the remainder are in storage.

The Boeing 747 is beautiful, distinctive and has half a century of proud service behind it. But - as a passenger plane at least - it is also quite simply outdated.

A four-engine aircraft, it is far less efficient than modern twin-engine models, such as the Airbus A350, the 787 Dreamliner, or even the older Boeing 777 - all of which are cheaper to run.

Before the Covid-19 crisis, the writing was on the wall. Airlines such as Air France, Delta and United had already retired their fleets.

BA had planned to use them for another few years. But the crisis in the industry means a future in which there will be fewer passengers, fewer planes - and keeping costs down will be crucial.

So now the airline has decided the queen of the skies is a luxury it can no longer afford.