Blog
A blog covering Boeing 747 news, milestones and unusual operations.
Notes on the Boeing 747 as they were written — deliveries, retirements, milestones and oddities, going back to 2009.
These are dated posts kept as a record rather than rewritten. Where the outcome is now known, it is added to the end of the post under an Update heading, so the original stands as it was written and the correction is visible. 14 of the 26 posts carry one.
2026
Air Force One slips again, and the cracks behind it
3 August 2026. A Pentagon report on 3 August 2026 found the VC-25B cabin design still behind schedule, with 95 and 142 airframe repairs outstanding on the two aircraft.
Qatar 747-8 enters service as Air Force One
1 July 2026. A Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar and converted by L3Harris flew its first presidential mission on 1 July 2026 as the VC-25B Bridge.
Cosmic Girl’s third career: launching hypersonic vehicles
21 May 2026. The former Cosmic Girl, now N949SL Spirit of Mojave, air-launched a Talon-A3 hypersonic vehicle for the Missile Defense Agency in March 2026.
2025
Lufthansa to sell two 747-8s and retire more 747-400s
16 December 2025. Lufthansa is selling two 747-8s and retiring two more 747-400s, with the -400 leaving the fleet by 2027 and the -8 staying into the 2030s.
How many 747s are still flying?
1 October 2025. As of Q3 2025 roughly 85 747s remain in passenger configuration and close to 300 are active in cargo, charter and government roles.
2023
The last Boeing 747 is delivered
31 January 2023. Boeing delivered the final 747, a 747-8 Freighter registered N863GT, to Atlas Air on 31 January 2023 after building 1,574 aircraft over 54 years.
2016
Quantas Straps an Extra Engine to A Boeing 747 for transport — video, updated
7 January 2016. A Qantas Boeing 747 carried a spare engine mounted under its wing in a fifth pod.
2015
Virgin Galactic will use a Boeing 747 to launch satellites into space — video, updated
6 December 2015. Virgin Galactic adopted a Boeing 747 as the air-launch platform for LauncherOne.
2014
ANA to retire its last two Boeing 747s — updated
17 April 2014. ANA retired its final two passenger Boeing 747s in 2014.
Boeing 747 #1 “Queen of the Skies” being rebuilt — updated
17 April 2014. The first Boeing 747 ever built, RA001, was restored for museum display.
Boeing 747-8 Freighter Painted in Seattle Seahawks Livery — updated
30 January 2014. Boeing painted a 747-8F in Seattle Seahawks livery in 2014.
Boeing delivered the first 747-8 with performance-improved GEnx-2B eng — updated
6 January 2014. Cathay Pacific received the first 747-8 with performance-improved GEnx-2B engines.
2012
Space Shuttle Discovery takes last ride on Shuttle Carrier Aircraft — updated
17 April 2012. Discovery’s last flight was atop the NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
2011
Boeing 747-8F Vomit Comet — video
17 April 2011. A 747-8F flight test involving parabolic manoeuvres; the original video is unavailable.
2010
Painting a Boeing 747-400 in 4 minutes — video
14 December 2010. A time-lapse of a Virgin Atlantic 747-400 being repainted.
Boeing 747 Classic Cabin Schemes — video
25 September 2010. Classic 747 cabin schemes and upper-deck lounges; the original video is unavailable.
How much does a Boeing 747 Cost — updated
4 September 2010. Boeing’s 2008 list price for the 747-400 was $234.0-266.5 million.
How to paint a Boeing 747-8 — video
2 May 2010. How a Boeing 747-8 is painted; the original embedded video is no longer available.
Upgrading a United Airlines 747 Business / First Cabin — video
2 January 2010. United Airlines refits the premium cabins of a Boeing 747.
2009
First Boeing 747-8 Freighter Leaves Paint Hangar — updated
19 November 2009. The first 747-8F emerged from the paint hangar in a special livery in 2009.
Boeing Hangs GEnx-2B Engines on the 747-8 Freighter — updated
3 September 2009. GEnx-2B engines were hung on the first Boeing 747-8 Freighter in 2009.
First 747-400 heads for scrapyard — updated
1 June 2009. Air New Zealand retired its first 747-400 for scrapping in 2009.
How much bigger is the Boeing 747-8 ? — updated
24 May 2009. The 747-8 is 18.3 ft longer than the 747-400, at 250 ft 2½ in overall.
Why does a Boeing 747-400 have winglets — updated
23 May 2009. Winglets reduce wingtip vortices and induced drag, lowering fuel burn on the 747-400.
Air Force One Buzzing New York
20 May 2009. A 2009 photo opportunity flying Air Force One low over Manhattan caused public panic.
First set of wings for the Boeing 747-8F completed — updated
6 March 2009. The first 747-8 Freighter wing set was completed in 2009.
Elsewhere on the site
In this section
Air Force One slips again, and the cracks behind it
A Pentagon report puts the VC-25B cabin behind schedule, with hundreds of airframe repairs outstanding and delivery now expected in 2028.
Cosmic Girl's third career: launching hypersonic vehicles
The 747 that launched satellites for Virgin Orbit is now Stratolaunch's Spirit of Mojave, air-launching the Talon-A hypersonic testbed.
Lufthansa to sell two 747-8s and retire more 747-400s
The largest passenger 747 operator is thinning its fleet — but says the 747-8 stays core to long-haul into the 2030s.
How many 747s are still flying?
Around 85 passenger 747s and close to 300 in cargo, charter and government service — and why that ratio is the aircraft's whole late story.
Qatar 747-8 enters service as Air Force One
The Boeing 747-8 given to the United States by Qatar flew its first presidential mission on 1 July 2026, designated the VC-25B Bridge.
The last Boeing 747 is delivered
Boeing handed the 1,574th and final 747 to Atlas Air on 31 January 2023, ending a 54-year production run at Everett.
Air Force One Buzzing Over New York
In April 2009 a VC-25 flew low over Manhattan for a photo shoot with no public warning, sending office workers into the streets. An official resigned.
ANA to retire its last two Boeing 747s
All Nippon Airways retired its last two passenger Boeing 747s in 2014, ending decades of jumbo operations in Japan.
Boeing 747 #1 “Queen of the Skies” being rebuilt
RA001, the first Boeing 747 ever built, was restored at the Museum of Flight forty-five years after making history.
Boeing 747-8 Freighter Painted in Seattle Seahawks Livery
Boeing painted a 747-8 Freighter in Seattle Seahawks colours to mark the team's NFC championship win in 2014.
Boeing 747-8F Vomit Comet
A Boeing 747-8F flew parabolic manoeuvres during flight testing — pushing to near-zero g to prove the fuel and engine systems in negative-g flight.
Boeing 747 Classic Cabin Schemes
Classic Boeing 747 cabin schemes — the upper-deck lounges, piano bars and spiral staircases airlines fitted before seat counts took over.
Boeing delivered the first 747-8 with performance-improved GEnx-2B eng
Cathay Pacific took the first Boeing 747-8 fitted with performance-improved GEnx-2B engines under the PIP programme.
Boeing Hangs GEnx-2B Engines on the 747-8 Freighter
Boeing installed the GEnx-2B engines on the first 747-8 Freighter as the aircraft moved through assembly and testing.
First 747-400 heads for scrapyard
Air New Zealand sent its first Boeing 747-400 to be scrapped in 2009 as the airline cut capacity during the downturn.
First Boeing 747-8 Freighter Leaves Paint Hangar
The first Boeing 747-8 Freighter left the Everett paint hangar in a special light livery of white, red and orange.
First set of wings for the Boeing 747-8F completed
Boeing completed the first set of wings for the 747-8 Freighter in 2009, an early milestone in the 747-8 programme.
How much does a Boeing 747 Cost
Boeing's 2008 list prices put the 747-400 at $234-266 million and the 747-8 higher still, before customary airline discounts.
How to paint a Boeing 747-8
How a Boeing 747-8 is painted: why it takes days, how much the paint weighs, and why airlines care about every kilogram of it.
How much bigger is the Boeing 747-8 ?
The 747-8 stretches 18.3 ft over the 747-400, giving a total length of 250 ft 2½ in and making it the longest airliner of its time.
Painting a Boeing 747-400 in 4 minutes
Johnson Banks' time-lapse of a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 being repainted, and why airlines repaint aircraft at all.
Quantas Straps an Extra Engine to A Boeing 747 for transport
Qantas ferried a spare engine to Johannesburg mounted under the wing of a Boeing 747, a rare fifth-pod configuration.
Space Shuttle Discovery takes last ride on Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
Space Shuttle Discovery made its final flight atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft on the way to retirement.
Upgrading a United Airlines 747 Business / First Cabin
United refits the premium cabins of a Boeing 747 during heavy maintenance — why cabin upgrades happen when the aircraft is already in the hangar.
Virgin Galactic will use a Boeing 747 to launch satellites into space
Virgin Galactic added a Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl to air-launch its LauncherOne small satellite rocket.
Why does a Boeing 747-400 have winglets?
Winglets cut the vortex that forms where high-pressure air under the wing spills around the tip, reducing induced drag and fuel burn.
