But taking the place of the A380 and 747 are not larger jets but smaller ones.Įfficient, twin-engines planes are now all the rage among airlines with the likes of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB replacing their predecessors as the flagships of the fleet despite their smaller stature. Rather, the massive aircraft became a casualty of their manufacturers' ambition in crafting newer planes to do the job cheaper and more efficiently than the behemoths they once touted.īigger used to be better in aviation, with the Boeing 747 affectionately nicknamed "Queen of the Skies" since it could fly longer with more passengers than its competitors. The early days of the 747 saw the iconic hump used for cocktail lounges or a restaurant in the skies while the A380 is known for being the only commercial airliner to have an in-flight shower, which Emirates offers to first class passengers. It wasn't for lack of comfort, as most travelers loved the additional space offered by both aircraft, which allowed for amenities not found on most single-engine jets. Qantas, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and Corsair have all retired their Boeing 747s months ahead of schedule while Air France abruptly retired its Airbus A380 fleet in May, 11 years after its first flight for the flag carrier. The once-long-haul leaders are now being put out to pasture and the coronavirus pandemic is only speeding that process along. Both were a casualty of weak demand from the airlines they faithfully served amid a crippling pandemic, though their popularity began to wane long before the first COVID-19 case was reported. It's the end of an era for four-engined planes.īoeing is stopping production of its famed 747 aircraft by 2023 and Airbus just trucked its last A380 fuselage through France in June as it prepares to shut down the line in 2021 after less than two decades of production.
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