British Airways retires entire fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft

British Airways has retired its entire fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which has hit the aviation industry hard. The airline was the worlds largest operator of the jumbo jets, with around 31 in the fleet.

The retirement of the 747’s was planned for 2024 but was brought forward due to the downturn in travel, according to travel data firm Cirium there are about 500 Boeing 747s still in service globally, of which 30 are actively flying passengers. More than 300 747’s fly cargo and the remainder are currently in storage.

A number of these iconic aircraft have arrived at Cotswold Airport for part out and scrap, others have flown into St Athan in South Wales and others have travelled to Spain all for part out and scrap.

View the British Airways press release.

This great video from MrAviationGuy shows the aircraft currently parked up at Cotswold Airport and the arrival of G-CIVB “Negus”: