bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Josh Ye

Cathay Pacific Airways is retiring its last three Boeing 747 passenger aircraft this week, marking the end of the ultra-large aircraft era.
The airline’s last Boeing 747 commercial flight is scheduled for a round trip from Hong Kong to Haneda Airport in Tokyo on September 30. After the plane returns from Japan, Cathay’s 747 fleet will be officially replaced by the Boeing 777-300ER, which is slightly smaller but with more economical twin-jet engines.
Hong Kong says farewell to giant of aviation
The Boeing 747, dubbed the “queen of the skies”, is recognised as one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, making long-haul travel affordable for passengers.
The double-decker jet can carry more than 400 passengers and has a flight range of 7,260 nautical miles compared to about 189 passengers and 5,750 miles by its predecessor, the Boeing 707.
But current aviation trends seem to favour lighter and more economical jets.
Tony Britton, an aircraft project manager at Cathay, said the company now flies to smaller airports, so ultra-large aircraft are no longer suitable.
Britton added that the number of flights by the new 777s would be increased. “We now have five flights to London. We prefer connectivity and frequency now,” he said.
Cathay has been retiring 747 passenger jets since 2005. But Britton said 23 freighter versions of the 747s will stay in service with the newest model expected to serve the company’s air freight business for another 25 years.
Boeing is about to emerge a huge winner from China’s online shopping boom
The retired 747s will be sent to the United States and United Kingdom to be disassembled with valuable components recycled. Cathay owned up to 25 such passenger jets in the early 2000s.
Inflight service manager Monica Tong, who began her flight attendant career on a 747, said the plane also contributed to her profession. She benefitted from Cathay’s expansion as the arrival of the 747s in 1979 helped the airline quadruple its annual passenger volumes by 1995.
“It was my dream to go beyond Asia and travel the world, and it was thanks to the 747 that I was able to do so,” Tong said. Her favourite memory of the 747 is its spiral staircase, which connected the two decks.
“I remember kids used to play rock-paper-scissors on the stairs,” Tong said.
“The winner of each round went up a step, and kids competed to get to the upper deck.”


No need for Hong Kong to reject Boeing aircraft deliveries, experts say

Passenger traffic for Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific grows by 19.8% in March

Jensen Huang in Beijing, Auto Shanghai kicks off and more

The history of Hong Kong’s iconic airport Kai Tak and its dramatic landings

Cathay Pacific

Time flies as Cathay’s Boeing 747 fleet set to retire, marking end of ultra-large aircraft era

(From left) Cathay Pacific inflight service manager Monica Tong, aircraft project manager Tony Britton, general manager of operations and former chief pilot of the Boeing 747 Mark Hoey and inflight services standards and safety manager Le Le Ng, pay fond tribute to the retiring aircraft. Photo: Jonathan Wong

News

Hong Kong

Education

The airline’s last commercial flight with the 747 model will be on September 30
