Summary

  • Iron Maiden's Boeing 747, 'Ed Force One,' was originally a commercial passenger aircraft for Air France.
  • The 747 was specially modified to carry the band's stage gear and crew for their world tour.
  • The aircraft was later leased for private charters and regular passenger use before being stored in 2022 and potentially scrapped.

Did you know the band Iron Maiden had its own Boeing 747 for a 2016 world tour? But where did this aircraft come from, and where did it go? Let's explore the special jumbo aptly named 'Ed Force One.'

Where did Iron Maiden get the 747 from?

The story of the Iron Maiden 747 actually begins far before they came to acquire the aircraft. The aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, started its life as a commercial passenger aircraft for Air France as F-GITH in 2003 (the actual aircraft is pictured below). The aircraft operated for Air France for over a decade, finally being stored and retired in 2015.

By the end of its run, the aircraft was configured with only two classes carrying 432 passengers. Business was in the nose of the plane in a 2-2-2 configuration, lacking many of the features you would expect today, such as direct aisle access and privacy. The seats were also not lie-flat and simply reclined, something that would be unacceptable in today's aircraft. The rest of the bottom deck of the aircraft has economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration, with around 32 inches of pitch. Upstairs, there were several rows of economy seats in a 3-3 configuration with 34 inches of pitch (a precursor to premium economy, if you will).

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Switching to private hire

In 2016, the aircraft was bought by an aircraft charter company, Air Atlanta Icelandic, to be used for private hires. During this period, the English rock band Iron Maiden was looking for a particular aircraft to use on the Book of Souls World Tour.

The band had used private aircraft before for tours (notably a Boeing 757 for two previous tours), but this time wanted something larger. From 2008 to 2009, a Boeing 757 (G-OJIB) was used for the Somewhere Back In Time World Tour. And, in 2011, another 757 (G-STRX) was liveried up in The Final Frontier World Tour to become the newest Ed Force One.

The Book of Souls World Tour was a bigger operation. It was a proper global tour, and the band would be taking a complete stage set and crew around the world. The 747 indeed offered the size to transport all the group's stage gear and show materials, as well as the band itself and its crew members.

Iron Maiden's Boeing 747 Ed Force One parked on an airport apron.
Photo: Sergey Kohl | Shutterstock 

The Boeing 747 was selected in February 2016 and repainted in a special Iron Maiden livery. It was re-registered by this time as TF-AAK. Nicknamed 'Ed Force One' after the band's mascot Eddie, seats were retrimmed in an all-black cloth, complete with branded headrest covers for the crew members that flew with Iron Maiden on the tour. Even the contracted crew had branded Ed Force One neck scarves for the flights.

Interestingly, the band's lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, so happened to be a licensed Boeing 747 pilot. As such, he flew most of the journeys conducted on Ed Force One during the 17-month tour.

The Iron Maiden 747 on tour

The aircraft was specially modified to carry the 10,000 kg of equipment required by the supergroup for their massive world tour. Predictably, the combination of a legendary rocker at the controls and the Queen of the Skies herself guaranteed an enormous crowd at the airports to witness every take-off and landing the aircraft ever made. The band even set up a dedicated 'spotters page' for fans to share photos of the incredible aircraft.

Iron Maiden's Boeing 747 Ed Force One seen on a runway.
Photo: Sergey Kohl | Shutterstock.

The aircraft would be flown worldwide, visiting places as far away as New Zealand, Canada, Tokyo, Brazil, and more. In Chile, the aircraft struck a towing truck on the apron and damaged two of its GE engines. These had to be replaced, and the aircraft was back in the air ten days later.

The band finished its tour with a show in Brooklyn, New York, in July 2017. However, the aircraft was on duty with the group for the period of March 2016 to June 2016.

Later years

The Boeing 747 was flown back to Iceland for further chartering. It was leased out to several small private charters, such as taking 350 Icelandic football fans to Marseille for an Iceland vs. Hungary match. The plane was kept in its existing livery for this trip. Following this, the aircraft was sent back and lost its iconic Iron Maiden 'Ed Force One' paint scheme.

It was then leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines in August 2016 for regular passenger use. The aircraft was in rotation and flying for the airline before being stored in Jeddah between March 2020 and October 2021. Air Atlanta Icelandic withdrew the plane from service in April 2022, and it has since been stored in Kemble, UK, a popular site for holding and taking care of inactive jumbos. Reports at the end of 2023 suggested the 747 was heading to be scrapped - although, as of February 2024, it is still listed on ch-aviation as 'stored - to be scrapped.'

Iron Maiden's 747 only saw over 20 years of service, but its days are numbered. Such is the fate of several other 747-400s, with the industry favoring more cost-effective, twinjet widebodies in the current climate.

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Did you have the chance to see this Boeing 747 in its special Iron Maiden livery? What do you think of the plane's overall operations? Let us know what you think of the aircraft and its history in the comments section below.