17/02/2023
About two and a half years ago, the Boeing Company announced the cease of the 747 aircraft (also known as the "Queen of the Skies) production.
This week the company permanently closed the plane's production line and delivered the last 747 aircraft it has produced.
The Boeing 747 was decommissioned from EL AL's fleet at the end of 2019.
The final goodbye was said at the end of 2020 when the last remaining model was scrapped. It truly was the end of an era.
Our story began sometime in the 1960s when Boeing started designing the world's first wide-body commercial airplane, which had two aisles in the tourist class and a capacity of 350-400 passengers. The state of Israel purchased the plane for approximately 31-35 million dollars for its national airline. The Jumbo's length was over 70 meters, its wingspan was 59 meters long, and its tail stood 19 meters high.
The very first plane arrived on May 26th, 1971. EL AL invested 200 million dollars (equivalent to a billion dollars nowadays) on infrastructure, preparations, and equipment. The Jumbo's first flight took place on June 8th from Tel Aviv to New York, with a layover in London. Welcoming The plane into our fleet also marked the pioneering use of onboard entertainment systems.
On November 22nd of the same year, the second 747-200 arrived at EL AL, and thus, the company doubled its seat supply in a fleet that, at the time, included 12 aircraft. The occupancy rate soared, and the number of passengers rose accordingly.
The third Jumbo joined the fleet in April 1973, marking the beginning of non-stop flights to New York without stopping on the way (which had only been possible previously on the way back from the USA). In addition to the passengers onboard, each plane could carry up to 13,500 kg of cargo.
The increase in cargo demand led to purchasing of the 747 as a passenger/cargo aircraft. Later, three more 747 airplanes were purchased from Boeing. In 1995, two 747-400 aircraft joined the fleet and became EL AL's flagship aircraft.
Over the years, A total of 20 747 planes were flown in EL AL's service (some were modified to cargo usage). These planes made their way to Tehran, where EL AL flew mainly cargo, and to Los Angeles, which was EL AL's longest flight (14.5 hours). At the time, this was the longest route for a commercial flight in the world.
There's also the Guinness World Record: amidst operation Solomon, EL AL flew the largest number of passengers onboard the same flight. This flight broke the Guinness world record with 1,086 passengers who were on their way to Israel from Ethiopia as part of a complicated operation. In EL AL's publicity campaigns, it was said that, for once, comfort comes last. By the way, some claim the actual number of passengers was 1,122 because some babies were tucked under their mother's scarfs. Any which way, the number of passengers landing in Israel was greater than the number of passengers who boarded because two babies were delivered midair.
EL AL has used jumbo planes for years to transport cargo and passengers alike. In the late 90s, in addition to ordering another 747 (named Jerusalem), EL AL started negotiations for renewing and rejuvenating its fleet.
Near the end of 2019, the Jumbos were taken out of service. The last 747-400 flight was from Rome to Tel Aviv. On its way, the captain "drew" the digits 747 in the skies.
On December 2020, the last EL AL jumbo was scrapped. "The queen of the skies" retired after over 48 years of service for EL AL.