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BA said the retirement of its jumbo jet fleet will start on Tuesday when the first of its 31 remaining Boeing 747s takes off from Heathrow and heads to Spain to be scrapped. The COVID-19 pandemic forced BA to bring forward the retirement of the 747, which with its humped fuselage and four engines is the world’s most easily recognized jetliner. The airline said in July they would all go with immediate effect. BA’s first jumbo to face the scrapyard, registration G-CIVD, first entered service in 1994 and last flew in April, when mid-lockdown it flew back from Lagos, Nigeria as part of the UK’s repatriation efforts. The 747 democratised global air travel in the 1970s, but fell behind modern twin-engine aircraft and now trails newer planes in fuel efficiency, making it expensive to run, particularly during the current travel slump.<br/>

After the collapse in global aviation triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, one Gulf-based airline has handed back almost GBP1b to passengers. Qatar Airways says in the past five months it has refunded $1.2b to 600,000 customers – an average of $2,000 (£1,515) per booking. The carrier’s CCO, Simon Talling-Smith, said: “The amount we have paid out in refunds has undoubtedly had an impact on our bottom line, but it is our duty to do the right thing by our customers and trade partners. As an airline we are strong enough to mitigate the impact of this.” The Doha-based carrier moved staff from cabin crew and ground services into customer contact centres to help process refunds. Qatar Airways says 96% of passengers have had their fares returned to the original form of payment, and that all new refunds are being paid in less than 30 days. Under European air passengers’ rights rules, refunds for cancelled flights are due with a week of the planned departure. But as revenue dried up almost entirely for many airlines, they have proved to be far slower in many cases.<br/>