It’s an end of an era. After over 50 years of production, the final Boeing 747 rolls off the assembly line in Everett, Washington. No new “Queen of the Skies” will ever be built again, though the 747 will continue to fly for decades to come.
The Boeing 747 is the most iconic airliner in history. It was the first widebody aircraft ever produced and was, for a time, the backbone of many airlines’ fleets. The 747 helped to usher in a new era of more affordable air travel, connecting untold numbers of people around the world. However, with changing economics and passenger preferences, the need for very large aircraft has fallen precipitously in recent years. This first resulted in the end of Airbus’ A380 production, and now the Queen of the Skies.
The Final Boeing 747 Rolls Off the Assembly Line
We’ve known for some time now that the end was near. Back in 2016, Boeing was already considering shuttering its Boeing 747 line. At the time, Boeing was building only six of the jumbos per year. However, thanks to several orders from cargo airlines, the type was able to hang on for a bit longer. However, on July 2, 2022, Boeing formally announced that the last jumbo would be built in 2022. That aircraft has now left the building.

On December 6, 2022, the final Boeing 747 rolled out of their Everett plant. Line number 1,574, the final jumbo carries registration number N863GT and is headed for cargo carrier Atlas Air. While construction of this final aircraft is complete, she still needs to be painted, undergo testing, etc., and will not be delivered until early 2023. Still, it’s a somber moment in aviation history, especially for those of us that love this bird.
Continuing Legacy
Though the final Boeing 747 has been built, we’ll continue to see these magnificent birds in our skies for decades to come. The type remains incredibly popular with cargo carriers, especially UPS Airlines, which has 28 of the new 747-8’s in its fleet. These jets are incredibly common here in Honolulu, along with older Boeing 747-400s from both UPS and Atlas Air.
If you haven’t flown on a 747 yet and still want to, two airlines continue to operate the passenger variants regularly too. Lufthansa currently operates a fleet of 19 Boeing 747-8 Intercontientals, along with 8 747-400s, which will exit the fleet once the airline takes delivery of its 777-9s. Korean Air is another significant operator with a fleet of 9 747-8s, which commonly appear here in Honolulu. However, Korean has stated that they plan on retiring their jumbo fleet by 2031.
My Boeing 747 Experiences
I’ve had the privilege of flying the Queen a few times throughout my life. The first was a Canadian Air flight from Honolulu to Vancouver in May 1999 operated by one of their Boeing 747-400s. That was followed shortly thereafter by a flight on a British Airways 747-400 that same month. In March 2001, I got to fly a JALways 747-300 from Narita to Honolulu. My final flights with the queen would come in 2009 aboard Japan Airlines 747-400s, again between Honolulu and Narita. It’s worth noting that these were also my first mileage redemption flights ever, having redeemed American AAdvantage miles to visit my relatives in Japan.
I hope to fly a 747-8 one day before they are sent to the boneyard, but I’m not sure I can make it happen. Fingers crossed!
Final Thoughts
Though newer aircraft have come online that provide a more comfortable experience, the Boeing 747 remains my favorite commercial airline of all time. It’s a gorgeous aircraft that helped to, quite literally, change the world and remains unparalleled (in my opinion) in terms of its design.