The Boeing 747-400 was the most popular variant of the US manufacturer's famous jumbo jet, accounting for 694 of the family's 1,566 units produced. It has seen service all over the world, including with Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA). This airline flew the type from 1990 to 2014, and was even a rare operator of the -400D version.

ANA's standard Boeing 747-400s

According to data from ch-aviation.com, ANA flew a total of 23 747-400 series aircraft over the years. Of these, a slim majority (12 aircraft) were examples of the standard passenger-carrying 747-400. The first pair came onboard in August (JA8094) and October 1990 (JA8095), with 1991 yielding three more arrivals between February and August.

1992 was a quieter year in terms of 747-400 deliveries at ANA, with JA8958 being the sole arrival that August. 1993 was also a one-aircraft year, marked by JA8962's delivery that June. A hiatus then followed that lasted until 1997, when JA401A came onboard. The rest of the decade saw one arrival in 1998, and two in 1999. June 2000 marked the final delivery.

ANA's 747-400s had varying lifespans at the carrier that lasted between seven (JA405A) and 19 (JA8098 and JA8958) years. The first to leave was JA8094, in March 2007, with the last being JA8958 in April 2011. ATDB.aero reports that five remain active today.

ANA Boeing 747-400D
ANA painted certain 747-400Ds in special Pokémon liveries. Photo: Timo Breidenstein via Wikimedia Commons

Domestic deployment: the 747-400D

ANA's remaining Boeing 747-400s all featured a 'D' suffix, which indicated their use on domestic flights. Deploying widebodies on these shorter sectors is not uncommon in Japan, due to the high levels of demand for transport between the country's major cities. The 747-400D had a high-density layout, as well as neither winglets nor an upper deck galley.

ANA received its Boeing 747-400Ds over a shorter period than its standard 747-400s. Indeed, fewer than four years passed between the first (JA8099, January 1992) and last (JA8966, December 1995) deliveries. 1992 and 1993 were the busiest years, with each seeing four 747-400Ds arrive. This dropped to one in 1994, before rising to two in 1995.

All in all, the 747-400D saw use on ANA's domestic network for more than two decades. While JA8955 was destroyed in a hangar fire during maintenance in Bangkok, the other examples stayed put until the 2010s. JA8960 and JA8961 were the final departures, leaving in March 2014, whereafter they were scrapped at Tupelo Regional Airport in Mississippi.

ANA Airbus A380 Getty
All Nippon Airways' three Flying Honu Airbus A380s will specialize in Hawaii operations from this summer. Photo: Getty Images

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A predominantly twin-engine future

As far as ANA's present widebody fleet is concerned, twinjets dominate this area of the Japanese carrier's operational setup. The type flies various aircraft from the Boeing 767 and 777 families, as well as, of course, having been the launch customer for the 787 'Dreamliner.'

However, ANA still has three Airbus A380s in its possession, meaning that quadjets at the airline aren't dead just yet. These are just 2.7 years old on average, although the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has thrust uncertainty on the type's future. Nonetheless, it recently took delivery of the third and final example, which it will be keen to it into service.

Do you remember ANA's Boeing 747-400 years? Perhaps you even flew on one of these Japanese jumbos? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.