Popularization of Air Travel Leads to Aircraft Model Transition to Cargo Planes
Next Model 777X Development Delayed... Expected Release in 2025
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Boeing 747 aircraft, which was praised for popularizing air travel worldwide, has been discontinued after 53 years. Amid delays in the development of a replacement model for the Boeing 747, Boeing announced plans to increase production personnel to accelerate the manufacturing of new aircraft.
According to CNBC on the 30th (local time), the last Boeing 747 aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. cargo airline Atlas Air on the 31st. Since its first flight with Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) in 1970, the Boeing 747, known as the symbol of passenger aircraft, will now be fully retired and fade into history.
The Boeing 747 model was loved for a long time as the aircraft that led the popularization of long-distance air travel. As the world's first mass-produced wide-body aircraft (an aircraft with two aisles inside the cabin), the Boeing 747 featured 350 to 400 seats and was also the first jet airliner to be built with a two-deck structure. It was introduced by numerous airlines worldwide, including Korea's Korean Air, and was favored by several national leaders, including the U.S. president.
Shortly after its development, the Boeing 747 experienced a slump due to the oil crisis triggered by the Middle East war in the 1970s. However, demand surged significantly after the introduction of the 747-400, an upgraded model specialized for long-haul flights in 1989, and the increase in trans-Pacific flight demand.
However, with recent advancements in aviation technology, twin-engine aircraft models with two engines have become popular as low-cost, high-efficiency models, making the four-engine Boeing 747 less economical and leading to its retirement.
Meanwhile, Boeing is working on launching the 777X model to replace the Boeing 747, but due to ongoing delays, it is expected to be released only in 2025.
Boeing plans to focus on expanding the production line of the Boeing 737 MAX, which has become its current main model. According to CNBC, Boeing recently disclosed that it plans to increase the production volume of the 737 MAX from about 31 units per month to 50 units between 2025 and 2026, and will hire more than 10,000 additional employees this year alone to expand the production line.
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