The first Boeing 747-400 British Airways, scheduled for withdrawal, took off from London

In July, British Airways announced the withdrawal of the Boeing 747 aircraft fleet. The decision comes amid a crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The low demand forced the airline to adjust its fleet, operational network and even team. Unfortunately, the pandemic with the new coronavirus has literally ruined many aviation and tourism businesses.

Here that, on August 18, 2020, the first Boeing 747-400 British Airways (G-CIVD) scheduled for withdrawal took off on its last flight, from London to Castellon. This is the first aircraft withdrawn and removed from the British Airways fleet, which currently owned 31 Boeing 747-400 aircraft. And in an accelerated process, all other 747-400 aircraft will take off for scrap / preservation airports.

Boeing 747-400 British Airways (G-CIVD)

The Boeing 747-400 British Airways G-CIVD entered operational service on 14 December 1994. Its last flight was operated on 18 August 2020, officially removed from British Airways registrations on 19 August 2020.

The last flight with passengers was operated on the route Lagos - London Heathrow. He was operated on April 18 and had special status, being a repatriation flight.

The Boeing 747-400 British Airways G-CIVD was configured in 4 fare classes: 14 x First, 52 x Club Business, 36 x World Traveler Plus and 243 x World Traveler.

All this time, the Boeing 747-400 British Airways G-CIVD flew 115,276.8 hours on 13364 flights and covered more than 50 million miles.

The Boeing 747 family of aircraft played a key role in the development of British Airways. There were times when the British company had over 55 747 aircraft. The first commercial flight operated with a 747 British Airways aircraft was in 1971, on the route London Heathrow - New York. In its 50-year history, Boeing 747s have carried more than 3.5 billion passengers. At the same time, it was the first aircraft to operate a direct flight to London - Sydney in 1989

Unfortunately, the crisis generated by COVID-19 and the new models that are much more efficient in terms of operational costs have caused 4-engine aircraft to lose more and more ground. British Airways has begun modernizing its long-haul fleet and currently owns 6 x A350s and 32x787s. The latter are at least 25% more fuel efficient than the 747, and this translates into reducing operating costs.