British Airways’ last two Boeing 747 planes at the airline’s historic base of London’s Heathrow Airport made their final flight Thursday, the fleet’s retirement having been brought forward by the coronavirus pandemic.
To mark the occasion, the two planes with their distinctive humps at the top, took to the skies one after the other for their journeys into retirement. No passengers were onboard.
One went to the Kemble airfield in western England, and the other headed to the St. Athan airfield in south Wales. Combined, they had flown 104 million miles in their 47 years, carrying millions of customers for work and play.
BA announced in July that its 747s had flown their final commercial flights as a result of the pandemic, which has severely curtailed international travel and is expected to do so for years to come. Originally, BA, which was the world’s biggest operator of the 747-400 model, was planning to retire the fleet in 2024.
