The last farewell is set on Sunday for the KLM Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets. The renowned blue aircraft will never land until after Sunday in the Netherlands. For the final period in KLM’s livery, the two ‘Queen of the Skies’ would arrive at Schiphol. The aircraft had been in use for cargo flights a few months ago.
In March of this year, KLM confirmed that it would say farewell to the ‘Queen of the Sky’ owing to the corona issue, as the jumbo jet is affectionately known. The last flight never took place, but the airplane was used only a little later to carry essential supplies.
The PH-BFV registered aircraft would land at Schiphol for the last time today, Sunday at 4.40 pm, accompanied by the PH-BFW at 8.50 pm. “Both aircraft are granted the call sign KL747 as they reach Dutch airspace,” the KLM spokesman said.
In airports, the 747 has now been a rare sight. Carriers are waving goodbye to the aircraft since to continue operating with it has become too costly. Interest for smaller two-engine aircraft is rising, although demand for large four-engine airplanes is dropping. Such smaller aircraft are often best equipped for direct flights, whereas large aircraft have to fly primarily between large airports.
PH-BFV
The 747-406M MSN 28460 powered by the GE CF6-80C2B1F engine has served the KLM fleet for more than 21 years. The aircraft was delivered on August 16, 1999, to KLM and was named Vancouver. Shanghai will be the last commercial destination for this beauty. On February 13, 2019, during pushback at Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport, PH-BFV experienced a ground collision with another KLM Boeing 787-9. Both aircraft were grounded for repair. On February 16, PH-BFV resumed operations.
PH-BFW
On October 26, 2000, the 20-year-old Boeing 747-406M MSN 30454 registered with PH-BFW , named as Shanghai, joined KLM. This aircrafts is also powered by The GE engine CF6-80C2B1F.
Boeing 747 ‘s recent retirement
With six pilots and no passengers on board over the last trip from Sydney, the trip route of QF7474 drawn out a huge Qantas kangaroo logo off the east coast of Australia. Australia’s Qantas Airways retired the last Boeing 747 with a splash. At the end of the year, the airline was supposed to drop the legendary airliner model, but the coronavirus pandemic that struck the airlines hard compelled them to speed up the timeline.
In October, British Airways pulled the last of its large Boeing 747 aircraft, a significant occurrence triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. In July, the British airline confirmed that this was suspending its 747 fleets after the adverse effect of the Covid-19 disease outbreak on both the airline and aviation industries.
