After nearly 50 years, Boeing is cooling the jets of the world’s most famous airplane: The 747.
Demand for the jumbo jet has been falling for years, as airlines have opted for newer, more fuel-efficient models. The jet is now mostly used for cargo. Boeing delivered just three 747s in the first six months of the year, down from nine in the first half of 2015.
The aircraft manufacturer is now hinting that it could cease production of the ”Queen of the Skies.“
“It is reasonably possible that we could decide to end production of the 747,” Boeing said on the 17th page of a quarterly earnings filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
It’s an unceremonious announcement about the possible fate of the 747, the plane with an iconic bulbous cockpit and second floor, the aircraft that transports the US president, ferries space shuttles, and made transcontinental travel more affordable by fitting more passengers on board after it first took off in 1969.