British Airways announces immediate retirement of entire 747 fleet

The airline giant says it is unlikely the ‘queen of the skies’ will ever operate commercial services and says it plans to replace it with more modern and fuel-efficient aircrafts

Featured Video Play Icon

British Airways (BA) has announced the retirement of its entire Boeing 747 fleet with immediate effect.

The airline giant says it unlikely the ‘queen of the skies’ will ever operate commercial services again due to the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic.

BA took delivery of its first 747-400 in July 1989, and the last was originally due to retire in 2024.

Image: British Airways

In a statement, the company said: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect.

“While the aircraft will always have a special place in our heart, as we head into the future we will be operating more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as our new A350s and 787s, to help us achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

BA originally owned a fleet of 57 747-400s, which made it the second-biggest operator in the world of this type of aircraft.

If you enjoyed this story you can sign up to our weekly news emails for Energy Live News and future Net Zero right here…

Latest Podcast