Boeing’s last 747 will roll out in Washington

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Boeing’s last 747 will roll out in Washington

After more than half a century, Boeing is going to roll its last 747 out of a Washington state factory on Tuesday.

The jumbo jet, which has taken on many roles as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying more than 500 passengers and as the Air Force One presidential aircraft, debuted in 1969. It was the largest commercial aircraft in the world, and the first with two aisles, and still towers over most other planes.

The design of the 747 included a second deck extending from the cockpit back over the first third of the plane, giving it a distinctive hump that made the plane instantly recognizable and inspired a nickname, the Whale. The Queen of the Skies became more elegantly known as the 747.

It took less than 50,000 Boeing employees less than 16 months to churn out the first 747. Since then, the company has completed 1,573 more.

Over the past 15 years or so, Boeing and its European rival Airbus have released new widebody planes with two engines instead of the 747 s four. They were more fuel-efficient and profitable.

Delta was the last U.S. airline to use the 747 for passenger flights, which ended in 2017, but some other international carriers continue to fly it, including the German airline Lufthansa.

The final customer is Atlas Air, which ordered four 747 -- 8 freighters early this year. The last was to roll out of Boeing's massive factory in Everett, Washington, on Tuesday night.

Boeing's roots are located in the Seattle area, and it has assembly plants in Washington state and South Carolina. In May, the company announced that it would move its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia.

The move to the Washington, D.C. area puts its executives closer to federal government officials and the Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies Boeing passenger and cargo planes.

Boeing's relationship with the FAA has been strained since the fatal crashes of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, in 2018 and 2019. The FAA took nearly two years — much longer than Boeing expected — to approve design changes and allow the plane back in the air.