As Qantas Airways (QF) prepares to retire the last Boeing 747 aircraft from its fleet, the airline Today flew the first of three special jumbo farewell flights.
After fifty year of service operations, the aircraft “Jumbo Joy Flights”, was given a well-deserved goodbye.
The first special flight departed from Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport, where the remaining Boeing 747 aircraft have been stored during the Covid-19 period. VH-OEJ, a Boeing 747-438ER delivered to the airline in July of 2003 is the final 747 in the Qantas fleet.
The flight taxied through a water salute provided by Sydney Airport’s emergency services, before departing runway 16R for a 54-minute scenic flight around Sydney. The aircraft departed at 10:36 am and landed back at Sydney Airport at 11:30 am.
The flight will then direct to Los Angeles, and the aircraft will be flown one final time to Mojave Airport, where the air-frame will most likely be scrapped.
Qantas announced that all proceeds from these farewell flights will be donated to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Wollongong, the current owners of VH-OJA, the first Boeing 747-400 in the Qantas fleet.Qantas took delivery of the Boeing 747 on 16th August, 1971 with the registration VH-EBA, a Boeing 747-238B named the “City of Canberra.” Qantas went on to operate almost every variant of the Boeing 747.
Over the past 49 years, the airline has operated 65 Boeing 747 aircraft, and has carried millions of passengers to and from Australia.
Qantas originally planned to retire the Boeing 747 by the end of 2020, in time for their 100 year anniversary. However, due to the COVID-19 impact on international travel, retirement was brought forward earlier this year.
The Boeing 787-9, ordered by Qantas in 2015 is the predecessor to the Boeing 747 within the Qantas fleet, rapidly overtaking pre-existing 747 flights pre COVID. The airline currently has 11 Boeing 787-9 aircraft in the fleet, with another 3 more on order.
As Qantas does not plan to resume international flights until July 2021, the Airbus A380 fleet is also being stored in Victorville, with the first A380 VH-OQE arriving into Victorville Logistics Airport for storage on July 6th. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce stated that the A380’s will remain stored at Victorville for at least 3 years.
The Qantas Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 were stored at Sydney after the initial international flight grounding back in March. A good portion of the Qantas A330 fleet has also been parked, along with a considerable quantity of the airlines Boeing 737 fleet. The Boeing 787 fleet for the most part is also grounded, all across various airports in Australia.
VH-OEJ was the second aircraft to wear the Wunala Dreaming livery from 2003 to 2012, where it was repainted back into the mainstream Qantas livery. OEJ still wears a small Kangaroo logo near the flight-deck window, to signify it’s past.
The Qantas 747 was up until earlier this year was used on flights to Tokyo, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Johannesburg, and Santiago from Sydney. Qantas switched their 747 services to a Boeing 787-9 aircraft for the LAX and SFO routes at the end of last year.
The passengers from today’s flight were given a certificate to commemorate their attendance onboard QF747, along with a memory that will last a lifetime. Qantas 747, Queen of the Skies, the flying Kangaroo Jumbo, whatever you call it, thank you for your service!
Source: airwaysmag.com