Boeing to "pull the plug" on the 747—report
The final Boeing 747-8 to be built is expected to roll out in about two years, marking an end of an era for the double-deck aircraft market. The unanticipated spiralling down of the aviation industry has worsened the uncertainty of the 747's future.
According to Bloomberg, the company has not informed its employees about the decision yet. However, people familiar with the matter told the news outlet the move could already be "teased out from subtle wording changes in financial statements."
The first version of the 747, the Boeing 747-100, was first unveiled to the public in 1968. The infamous bump on the aircraft's front fuselage section made it an icon in aviation. Two years later in 1970, the 747 entered service with Pan American World Airways.
Last year, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced it would end the A380 production in 2021 when it delivers the final aircraft to gulf airline Emirates. The fuselage for that last A380 is in fact already in Toulouse, France, waiting for final assembly.
READ: Airbus to halt A380 production
However, aviation enthusiasts should not fret for the next few years, and even decades, due to the Boeing 747's significant presence in the freighter market. The 747s, as a cargo aircraft, would still be flying for decades to come, something that the A380 was not destined to do.
Photo from Boeing
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