Asiana Airlines made the final flight with a Boeing 747 on 25 March 2024,
The final trip for the Asiana 747-400, registration HL7428, was from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport to Seoul Incheon International Airport.
A mere 2 hour flight for the world’s greatest ever long haul aircraft.
Most airlines have retired their passenger 747 aircraft with its four engines and heavy structure. It’s much cheaper to operate aircraft with two engines and mainly composite structures.
Asiana and the 747
Asiana has only ever had a small number of 747s – between 3 and 9 depending on the source. The actual last 747 has been flying with Asiana for 30 years.
Last built 747
The first 747 test flight was in 1969 and the first commercial flight was with Pan Am on 22 January 1970.
Boeing delivered the last ever 747 to be built – a freighter version for Atlas Air – in February 2023.
MORE about the Boeing 747
- Boeing delivers last ever 747 to be built
- British Airways 747 last ever flight
- Last ever Qantas 747 flight
Who still flies the Boeing 747 for passenger flights?
Sadly the 747 days for passenger flights are numbered. But some airlines do still fly this magical aircraft, including:
- Air China – has 2 747-400 and 5 747-8
- Korean Air – has 9 747-8
- Lufthansa – has 8 747-400 and 19 747-8
- Mahan Air (W5) – has 1 747-400, but I couldn’t find any flights scheduled with this
(as always figures are estimates as it is almost impossible to get exact figures)
Most 747s still in the air are freighter versions. Wikipedia lists over 400 of the type flying with more than 70 ‘airlines’, including governments, corporations and private individuals.
The list includes:
- Boeing
- General Electric
- Pratt & Whitney
- the Korean Government
- Saudi Arabian Government
- Turkish Government
and many cargo operators like UPS, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and China Airlines.
Air Force One
The most famous 747 of all is Air Force One. There are two of them – both 747-200s.
Air Force One is a Boeing 747-200 [Image: Boeing]
When the 747-8 takes flight as the next Air Force One, Boeing airplanes will mark more than half a century of presidential service.
