Jumbo jet sunset: coronavirus hastens the end of the Boeing 747

When Sir Richard Branson marked the 25th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic in 2009, he and the model Kate Moss posed on the wing of a Boeing 747. This symbol of the jet age was the only option for the billionaire showman. But a decade later, the plane has become a symbolic casualty of the chaos engulfing the airline industry during the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Virgin Atlantic said it would retire all seven of its 747s. More than 1,500 of the jumbo jets have been delivered over the 52 years it has been in service, but analysts say the savage decline in passenger traffic as governments seek to contain the spread of Covid-19 could hasten the decline of the plane. Lufthansa last month brought forward the retirement of five 747s. KLM has also confirmed that its jumbos will not return to the skies under its livery, as has France’s Corsair, accelerating the shift to newer models. That adds to plans from BA to scrap its 28 747s by 2024; the largest remaining operator of the planes in the world made the announcement in early 2019. The arrival of newer plane models at a time of low demand leaves the ageing jumbo in an unenviable position. The 747 saw off the challenge of the Airbus A380 superjumbo, which ends production next year, but it still faces many of the problems that ultimately grounded its closest rival. Larger planes are only worthwhile financially on longer-distance, popular routes, making them less flexible for airlines. Smaller, newer aircraft are now capable of flying longer routes as well as short-haul, making them more attractive as the industry faces up to months or even years of slow recovery in air passenger demand once lockdown restrictions are eased.<br/>