Summary

• The list of remaining Boeing 747 operators is becoming shorter, with many major airlines retiring their fleets due to the pandemic.
• Some airlines, such as Air China, Asiana Airlines, Atlas Air, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Mahan Air, MaxAir, and Saudia, still operate the Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 747-8 for passenger services.
• Lufthansa is currently the largest passenger Boeing 747 operator, with a total of eight 747-400s and 19 747-8s in its fleet, all of which are active.

The list of remaining Boeing 747 operators is not all that long, and it seems to be getting shorter by the day. Back in 2020, several former major operators of the type, including Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, and British Airways, all retired their 747 fleets early due to the pandemic. However, a handful of carriers still operate the Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 747-8 for passenger services.

Air China

Air China is listed on ch-aviation as having ten Boeing 747s in its fleet. One of these is a specially configured 747-8 used for VIP services, with the airline operating nine passenger 747s - three 747-400s and six 747-8s. However, only one 747-400 and three 747-800s are currently active.

The 747-400, registered as B-2447, has only flown between Beijing (PEK) and Guangzhou (CAN) for the past seven days. It was previously operating a daily service to Shenzhen (SZX). The carrier's 747-8s, meanwhile, have an average age of just over eight years old and are regularly deployed on domestic and long-haul services from its Beijing base, including Frankfurt (FRA) and New York (JFK).

Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines has just one passenger Boeing 747-400 in its fleet. Registered as HL7428, the aircraft carries up to 398 passengers in a three-class configuration - ten in first class, 24 in business class, and 364 in economy class. Over the past several weeks, the Seoul-based carrier has been deploying the aircraft on a daily link to Osaka (KIX) in Japan.

Atlas Air

Charter airline Atlas Air has a fleet of five passenger Boeing 747-400s, although these fly solely on a wet lease basis. Only two are currently listed as active on ch-aviation - N481MC and N482MC, both 22-year-old former Virgin Atlantic jets. Atlas Air is currently operating both aircraft on behalf of the US Air Force.

Korean Air

As one of only three passenger airlines to take delivery of the passenger Boeing 747-8, Korean Air has ten of the type. The carrier received its first 747-8 in August 2015, making them relatively young for the type.

These are configured with six seats in first class, 48 in business class, and 314 in economy class. Eight of the SkyTeam member's ten 747-8s are currently active and have operated flights to Atlanta (ATL), Paris (CDG), and New York (JFK). There will be around six daily 747 flights by the carrier in January.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa is now the largest passenger Boeing 747 operator. While many airlines chose to retire their 747-400s, the German flag carrier stuck by the type, initially dropping the A380 but bringing it back pretty soon after. The airline currently has a total of eight 747-400s and 19 747-8s in its fleet, all of which are active.

Lufthansa's 747-400s do not feature a first class product and are currently deployed on seven routes this winter, including Delhi (DEL), Toronto (YYZ), and Seoul (ICN). The carrier occasionally deployed its 371-seat 747-400s on a limited number of short-haul services between Frankfurt (FRA) and Palma de Mallorca (PMI).

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When it comes to the airline's 747-8s, they can often be seen across long-haul destinations ranging from São Paulo (GRU) to Singapore (SIN) and Mexico City (MEX).

Mahan Air

Iran's Mahan Air is listed as having one active Boeing 747-400, registered as EP-MEE. The 33-year-old aircraft started its life with United Airlines and has been with Mahan Air since 2008. It has recently been flying from Tehran to Bangkok.

After years of sanctions, Iran is no stranger to aging aircraft. In fact, the average age of Mahan Air's entire fleet is almost 29 years old, and the airline does not operate an aircraft younger than 20 years old.

MaxAir

MaxAir is a Nigerian carrier founded in 2008, and currently operates one Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft. The airline previously had three 747-400s in its fleel but subsequently sent two of them to the US for retirement.

The one remaining aircraft, 5N-HMM, still regularly flies various routes, the majority of them between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, such as Kano (KAN) to Medina (MED). The aircraft was most recently spotted in Jakarta (CGK).

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Saudia

Also flying to Jakarta is a Boeing 747-400 (9H-AZA) for Saudia. The aircraft is one of two passenger variants that are currently operating for the Middle Eastern carrier on a wet lease from Air Atlanta Europe Malta. The other (9H-AZB) is flying between Dhaka and Medina.

Although most airlines have now retired their Boeing 747 fleets, there are still a handful of carriers around the world operating the aircraft for passenger services, allowing fans to fly on the Queen of the Skies for a few more years.

When was the last time you flew on a Boeing 747? Which airline and route did you travel on? Let us know in the comments below.

Sources: ch-aviation.com, FlightRadar24.com

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  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker