The Last Boeing 747 Rolls Out

The last of 1,574 Boeing 747s has left the company’s Everett, Washington plant, and will be delivered to Atlas Air early next year. That airframe wraps up a remarkable 54 year production program, with the 747 joining the Airbus A380 as the end of four engine wide-body airliner programs. 50 years ago, “Jumbo Jets” were seen as the solution to lower seat mile costs, enabling an entirely new industry, low-cost air travel. However, the relentless drive for lower seat mile costs, combined with high fuel prices, coincided with a change in the airline industry from hub and spoke operations to point-to-point travel using smaller airplanes. 747s will remain in service as a cargo aircraft for some years, but its days as a passenger carrier are numbered.Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.