Qantas 747 countdown begins

QANTAS B747-438 VH-OEJ (CN 32914)

Qantas has announced a date to when it will retire the last of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Qantas will retire the last of its six 747-400s by the end of 2020 as it increases its fleet of 787 Dreamliner’s to 14 the same year. Ironically 2020 will be Qantas’s 100th anniversary.

Brisbane gets one Jumbo jet a day and that is QF 15 which departs for Los Angeles (LAX) at 10.20am. The return flight QF 16 comes in from LAX around 6am daily after departing Los Angeles at 11.20pm LA time. Brisbane will say goodbye to our daily 747-438 on the 1st September as the route will be taken over by the new B787-9.

The jumbo jet has been in the Qantas fleet in various forms since 1971. Until the launch of the Airbus A380 in October 2007, the 747 was the largest commercial aircraft to fly.

QANTAS B747-438 VH-OJO (CN 25544)

SPORTING THE "GO QANTAS WALLABIES" 

In 1966 Qantas decided to standardise its fleet with the larger 338C series Boeing 707.

Late 1966 Qantas was evaluating an even bigger aircraft, the Boeing 747, soon to be known as the Jumbo Jet. Rather than accept the first 747 model, Qantas decided to retain its 21 707s and wait for the more advanced B series. An initial order for four Boeing 747Bs was placed in August 1967. Although this meant other airlines would operate the wide-bodied jet for nearly two years before Qantas took delivery, the B series had features suited to long-haul operations. It was a new era in air travel and the airline changed its name on 1 August 1967 to Qantas Airways Limited.

The first Boeing 747-238B aircraft for Qantas went into service on the 31st July 1971. In 1974 Qantas established a then world record for carrying the most passengers when it evacuated 673 people on a 747 flight from Darwin after the city was devastated by Cyclone Tracy. The airline flew out a total of 4925 people.

QANTAS B747-438ER VH-OEF (CN 32910)

SPORTING THE "ONE WORLD" LIVERY

The final 707 flight operated from Auckland to Sydney on 25 March 1979 under the command of Captain Phil Oakley. With the sale of this last Boeing 707, Qantas boasted the world's only all-747 fleet, with 17 of these aircraft. During the next few years Qantas took delivery of several 747 variations - the shorter SP (Special Performance) the Combi (passenger/cargo configuration) and the EUD (Extended Upper Deck). Qantas changed to Rolls-Royce engines for its 747s.

On 17 August 1989 the first Qantas 747-400, VH-OJA 'City of Canberra', touched down at Sydney Airport after a non-stop flight from London to Sydney. The 18,001km flight, under the command of Captain David Massy-Greene, took 20 hours, nine minutes and five seconds and established a new world distance record for a commercial aircraft.

Brief Overview

       ·         Qantas originally order four 747-100 aircraft in October 1967

·         In June 1969 this order was cancelled and replaced by four 747-200 series aircraft

·         On the 10th June 1971 the aircraft was rolled off the Boeing production line at Everett (Paine Field)  

·         The aircraft would be powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7A engines 

·         The aircraft first flew as VH-EBA - 8th July 1971

·         On the 30th July 1971 it was entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-EBA with   CN of 20009 

·         Line Number 147

·         It was the first Boeing 747 delivered to Qantas Airways

·         Aircraft was named 'City of Canberra'

·         On the 13th August 1971 the 747 departed Everett (Paine Field) on the delivery flight to Australia as QF053D 

·         It arrived in Sydney (Kingsford Smith) on the 16th August 1971

QANTAS B747-438 VH-OJS (CN 25564)
SPORTING THE "QANTAS SOCCEROOS"  LIVERY

Current 747 fleet as of 1st May 2018

VH-OJS CN 25564 747-438

VH-OJT CN 25565 747-438

VH-OJU CN 25566 747-438

VH-OEB CN 25778 747-48E

VH-OEE CN 32909 747-438ER

VH-OEF CN 32910 747-438ER

VH-OEG CN 32911 747-438ER

VH-OEH CN 32912 747-438ER

VH-EOI CN 32913 747-438ER

VH-EOJ CN 32914 747-438ER

Current 787 fleet as of 1st May 2018

VH-ZNA CN 39038 787-9

VH-ZNB CN 39039 787-9

VH-ZNC CN 39040 787-9

VH-ZND CN 63390 787-9

Qantas will receive 4 more 787's by the end of this year and has ordered 6 more to be delivered throughout 2019 /2020