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Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 ‘Queen of the Skies’ is an iconic aircraft that has a history stemming more than 50 years. On February 9, 1969 B747-121 ‘RA001’ took the sky for its first flight and was then introduced into service with Pan Am in January 1970.

History & development

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body, four-engined airliner that was produced between 1968 – 2022. Known as the ‘Jumbo Jet’ or ‘Queen of the Skies’, 1,572 were built at Boeing’s Everett site. Boeing built over 20 different B747 variants, including the Boeing VC-25 which is the Presidential transport aircraft, known as ‘Air Force One’. Over the years some of the World’s biggest airlines have operated the B747, and whilst older model passenger variants are now scarce, the final passenger version, the B747-8i can be seen operating for the likes of Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China.

Latest B747 news

Lufthansa 747 landing

Where can you catch a 747-400 in 2023?

The 747-400 is now officially a classic aircraft, and it’s an increasingly rare one too. First introduced in 1989, this very successful update to the 747 line is now reaching the end of its life in the skies as operators retire them in favor of newer and more efficient models. However, one airline has given the 747-400 a new lease

Currently airborne B747s

Flight tracking focus

The sheer size and elegance of the Boeing B747 has garnered a fan following for over 50 years. As the flagship aircraft for some of the World’s biggest airlines the flight tracking interest of the B747 is constant. The vast majority of B747’s operating today are freight variants such as the B747-400, B747-400F and the much newer B747-8F. The largest operator of the B747 freight variants is currently Atlas Air with 47 of the type in operation. The largest operator of B747 passenger variants is currently Lufthansa who have both the B747-400 and B747-8i in their fleet.

B747 facts & figures

Built
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Passenger Review (out of 5)
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4.7/5
Operators Worldwide
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Cruise speed (knots)
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B747 family specification

VariantB747SPB747-100B747-200B747-300B747-400B747-8
Engines4 x Pratt & Whitney JT9D or Rolls-Royce RB211 or General Electric CF64 x Pratt & Whitney JT9D or Rolls-Royce RB211 or General Electric CF64 x Pratt & Whitney JT9D or Rolls-Royce RB211 or General Electric CF64 x Pratt & Whitney JT9D or Rolls-Royce RB211 or General Electric CF64 x Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or General Electric CF6 or Rolls-Royce RB2114 x General Electric GEnx-2B67
Height19.9m / 65.5ft19.3m / 63.5ft19.3m / 63.5ft19.3m / 63.5ft19.4m / 63.8ft19.4m / 63.8ft
Length56.3m / 184.9ft70.7 m / 231.10 ft70.7 m / 231.10 ft70.7 m / 231.10 ft70.7 m / 231.10 ft76.3 m / 250.2 ft
Wingspan59.6m / 195.8ft59.6m / 195.8ft59.6m / 195.8ft59.6m / 195.8ft64.4m / 211.5ft68.5m / 224.7ft
Cruise / Maximum speedMach 0.90 / 0.92Mach 0.90 / 0.92Mach 0.90 / 0.92Mach 0.90 / 0.92Mach 0.85 / 0.90Mach 0.85 / 0.90
Range10,800 km / 5,830 nm8,560 km / 4,620 nm12,150 km / 6,560 nm11,720 km / 6,330 nm14,205 km / 7,670 nm14,320 km / 7,730 nm
Typical passenger load276366366400416 467
Cargo capacity3,900cu ft30 LD130 LD130 LD15,655cu ft6,345cu ft

B747 videos

Spotting and flying the 747-400 from Mallorca!

Join us for a ride on the beautiful Lufthansa 747-400, a very rare bird these days, and even more so within Europe. We’re flying from Palma in Mallorca (PMI) to Frankfurt, one of Lufthansa’s special

More B747 news

Saha Airlines Iran 747 old aircraft

Nothing but a number? Aircraft age explained

The pandemic has put a number of older airplanes into expedited retirement this year, pushing down the world’s average fleet age. Still, it wouldn’t be unusual to fly on a commercial plane that’s been used

B747 frequently asked questions

The range of the B747 differs significantly between the variants. The shortest range belonged to the B747-100 which could fly up to 4,620nm / 8,560km. This compares to the B747-400ER which has a range of 7,670nm / 14,205km.

The final B747-8 was produced in December 2022 for Atlas Air, and had a reported price tag of $418M.

The final B747 rolled off the production line at Boeing’s Everett site in December 2022. It ended a production run that spanned 54 years and saw 1,574 Boeing 747s made. The final B747 was as Boeing 747-8F and will be in service with Atlas Air. Read more about how you can track all the Boeing 747s still in service >>

In total there have been 95 airlines and operators that put the Boeing 747 into service. The original launch customer of the B747-100 was Pan Am. KLM followed as the launch customer for the B747-200 and Swissair with the B747-300. Northwest was the launch customer for the B747-400 and finally Cargolux with the B747-8F and Lufthansa with the B787-8i.

Header image © Kevin Cargo