Virgin Atlantic and Boeing 747 lovers will get one last chance to say goodbye to the Queen of the Skies at London Heathrow, as the airline is planning a special event to say goodbye to its final Boeing 747-400.

Earlier this year, jumbo jet lovers were stunned when Virgin Atlantic revealed that it would be retiring its fleet of 747s with immediate effect. The aircraft type was already on the way out, but many 'goodbye' flights booked by passengers were suddenly no longer possible due to the circumstances surrounding the industry at the present moment in time.

Dining in Upper Class

While the Virgin Atlantic will never carry passengers into the sky again for the British carrier, it will still welcome guests one last time on Saturday, December 12th. Tickets for the experience will cost £50 each and will be available on a limited first-come, first-serve basis due to England's current restrictions.

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The entire experience will last around three hours with a range of opportunities on offer. First, 'passengers' will sip champagne on the aircraft's upper deck. Following this, passengers will retire to an Upper Class suite, where a three-course a-la-carte meal will be served. Meanwhile, the airline's jumbo jet pilots will recount experiences of flying the Queen of the Skies.

Virgin Altantic, Boeing 747, Dining Experience
Virgin Atlantic was founded with the Boeing 747. Photo: Getty Images

However, the experience doesn't end after dinner. Passengers will then get a tour of the aircraft. This will include visits to the cockpit, crew rest area, and the aircraft's cargo hold. The final part, and in my opinion the best part, will see passengers have a photo taken inside one of the engines of the Boeing 747-400.

Which aircraft is being used?

For the farewell event, Virgin Atlantic will be using its Boeing 747 registered as G-VROY. The aircraft is 19.5 years old, according to data from Planespotters.net, and was delivered to Virgin Atlantic in June 2001. It had initially been intended to go to Alitalia. Known as Pretty Woman, the aircraft's final passenger flight saw it fly from Antigua to London on March 28th.

On May 7th, the aircraft repositioned to Glasgow, before moving to Manchester on May 20th. It then flew down to Ciudad Real in Spain on June 24th, before transferring to London Heathrow on November 12th. Following this final experience, the aircraft is expected to leave Heathrow for the last time on December 16th, before heading to Altas Air.

Virgin Altantic, Boeing 747, Dining Experience
The remainder of Virgin's 747s has been scrapped or found new homes. Photo: Getty Images

Commenting on the experience, Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer at Virgin Atlantic said,

"The much-loved Boeing 747 has played an important role in Virgin Atlantic’s story. It carried our first passengers to New York 36 years ago on our inaugural flight... I’m delighted we’re able to offer this opportunity to a lucky few to be part of aviation history, before we say our fond farewells to this iconic plane."

Tickets for the experience will go on sale at virg.in/747experience at 09:00 on Monday, December 7th. They will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis and will surely sell out faster than you can say Upper Class.

Will you be trying to dine on the Boeing 747 one last time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!