QANTAS Airways, due to the coronavirus and sudden downturn in travel, has decided to park its five remaining Boeing 747-400 ERs. Previously it was planning to retire the type in February 2021. The airline hopes to operate some Boeing 747 revenue flights later this year when traffic returns.
On Thursday, March 26, 2020, a QANTAS Boeing 747-400 ER performed a flypast over Sydney Harbour before landing at SYD as a final salute to its hometown.
The last revenue flight (for now) was flight QF28 from Santiago, Chile to Sydney today (March 29). The flight was operated with the pictured Boeing 747-406 ER VH-OEE (top). Flight QF28 arrived in Sydney at 1730 (5:30 pm) local time on Sunday, March 29, 2020.
QANTAS previously retired the standard Boeing 747-400 in October 2019.
Above Copyright Photo: QANTAS Airways Boeing 747-238B VH-EBA (msn 20009) (Bruce Drum Collection). Image: 944371.
QANTAS has been an operator of the Boeing 747 since 1971. The first 747-238B (VH-EBA), named “Canberra” (above), was delivered to the airline on July 30, 1971 and arrived in Sydney on August 16, 1971. The type was introduced on the Sydney-Melbourne-Singapore route.
Above Copyright Photo: QANTAS Airways Boeing 747-338 VH-EBU (msn 23223) (Nalanji Dreaming) SYD (John Adlard). Image: 930000.
QANTAS has operated the 747-200B, 747SP (below), 747 Combi, 747-300 (above), 747-400 and the 747-400 ER.
Above Copyright Photo: QANTAS Airways Boeing 747SP-38 VH-EAA (msn 22495) (Boeing – Christian Volpati Collection). Image: 944958.
When Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin on Christmas 1974, QANTAS established a world record for the most people ever carried on a single aircraft when it evacuated 673 people on a single Boeing 747 flight.
The first Boeing 747-400 arrived in 1989.
Top Copyright Photo: QANTAS Airways Boeing 747-438 ER VH-OEE (msn 32909) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 931607.
QANTAS Airways aircraft slide show:
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