Boeing scheduled the delivery ceremony of the final 747 manufactured for January 31st. On this date, Atlas Air will receive the 747-8F with registration number N863GT, ending the production of the most famous widebody in the world.
To capture the event, Boeing revealed that the ceremony will be shown live via webcast starting at 9 pm (UTC), or 1 pm Pacific time.
“Thousands of people – including current and former employees as well as customers and suppliers – will celebrate the final delivery in the factory constructed to produce the iconic widebody with the distinctive hump. The final airplane, a 747-8 Freighter, is the 1,574th manufactured during 55 years of production,” Boeing’s statement said.
Aircraft serial number 67150 is part of an order for four 747-8Fs placed by Atlas Air in January 2021, the last to be received by Boeing.
The freighter will be operated under contract with Apex Logistics, which displays its branding on the fuselage. Atlas Air’s three other 747 freighters were received in May, October and November 2022.
After the retirement of the 747, the 777X will have the honor of being Boeing’s largest commercial jet. The twin-engine aircraft has three variants, the 777-9, capable of carrying 426 passengers in two classes, the 777-8F, a new freighter with a payload of over 112 tons, and the 777-8, with a range of 8,730 nautical miles ( 16,170 km).
Boeing expects to certify the 777-9 in 2025 while the 777-8F is due to enter service in 2027. The 777-8 version, however, is still suspended.
