Queen of the Skies: You Can Still Fly the Boeing 747 on These Routes

The Boeing 747 is becoming increasingly rare at airports around the world – at least in the passenger version. More and more airlines are retiring the queen of the skies. The coronavirus pandemic in particular has radically accelerated this process in some cases.

But there are still airlines that rely on the iconic four-jet aircraft, be it the Boeing 747-400 or its modern sister, the 747-8. In this article, we will show you which airlines continue to use the jumbo jets – and on which routes. We first showed you the opportunities a year ago and then in the spring for summer. Now, we look at what has changed for the upcoming winter season.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa can claim the title of the world’s largest operator of Boeing 747s – both in the older variant 747-400 and in the modern version of the 747-8 – (if you exclude all cargo airlines).

The German airline has a total of 27 planes of the iconic four-engine passenger jet, most of which are in active service. These are divided into 8 Boeing 747-400 and 19 Boeing 747-8. This means that Lufthansa can also put on the crown for the most active 747-8s worldwide – and by a wide margin. So it’s no wonder that the jumbo is still used by the German flag carrier on numerous routes, especially to the USA and Asia.

Boeing 747-8 routes:

Boeing 747-400 routes:

Chicago will only see the -400 in February. Vancouver will say goodbye to the jumbos in November, while Mumbai will get 747 service beginning in January 2024.

Korean Air

Korean Air is another operator of the Boeing 747, but only in the 747-8 version. Korean Air currently still operates 8 out of its 9 four-jet aircraft in its own fleet. The jumbos will serve Sydney until January 2024, while Shanghai will only see 747 service in January and February 2024.

Boeing 747-8 routes:

Air China

Air China currently operates a fleet of almost 500 aircraft, of which 10 are Boeing 747s still in service with the airline. Of these, 3 classic Boeing 747-400s and 7 larger and modern 747-8s make up the fleet, but most of them are inactive or used for charter/VIP flights. Flights to Shenzen see Boeing 747-400 aircraft, while the other routes see -8 service.

Boeing 747-400 & 747-8 routes:

Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines currently operates only one Boeing 747-400. Their sole jumbo-jet will have three missions from Seoul: Osaka until the end of 2023, Tokyo in January and February 2024, and Taipei from March 2024.

Boeing 747-400 routes:

Saudia (Air Atlanta Icelandic)

One interesting Boeing 747 operator is Air Atlanta Icelandic which will fly for Saudia from November 2023. The flights (except Medina-Jeddah) are bookable even as part of a connection.

Mahan Air

Iran’s civil aviation has been stalled for many years due to Western sanctions. Mahan Air is no exception, and the airline currently has two very outdated Boeing 747-400 and a 747-300 in the combi variant. However, only one of the two passenger jumbos is currently used. The 32-year-old plane last flew from Tehran to Dubai (although we couldn’t find future scheduled B747 flights to Dubai).

Boeing 747-400 routes:

Other Boeing 747 Operators

Of course, the airlines listed above are not the only ones operating passenger jumbos in their fleets. But according to the current status, they are the only ones who use their 747 more or less regularly. For example, the US company Atlas Air, which actually specializes in cargo flights, currently operates a few Boeing 747-400 passenger versions, which are used exclusively for charter flights (mostly for the US military). Nigeria’s Max Air fleet also includes two Boeing 747-400s, but they are both stored.

The Russian airline Rossiya has a significantly larger jumbo fleet, with at least 9 Boeing 747-400. While a few of them should be back in service, we couldn’t find any reliable schedules. Iraqi Airways also grounded its few remaining Boeing 747s.

Conclusion

Large-capacity aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747 are having a very difficult time these days. The constantly increasing demand for efficient and flexible planes does not bode well for the jumbos and superjumbos of this world. More and more four-jet aircraft such as the Boeing 747 are finding their way into the desert, ending up being used for spare parts or being scrapped directly – except for the cargo airlines and those planes that are (partially) reactivated for cargo flights.

Nevertheless, there are still a handful of airlines that seem to find using the 747 profitable enough. And from a European perspective, in particular, aviation enthusiasts are very fortunate to have Lufthansa, the world’s largest operator of this iconic aircraft, in their continent. The more modern 747-8 in particular will probably be in service for many years to come, meaning that the jumbo will still be the queen of our skies for some time.

Cover Picture: Jan Rosolino