Japan Saying Farewell To Boeing 747

Above, a Japan Airlines 747.

Japan's airlines are ending their usage of the venerable Boeing 747 this month.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun:

The Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jet" will end 44 years of service with Japanese airlines at the end of March, as those in the aviation industry bid the aircraft a reluctant farewell. 

Japan Airlines (JAL) was the first Japanese carrier to introduce the 747, in July 1970. That aircraft was around 70 meters long and 20 meters tall with a 60-meter wingspan, making it massive compared to all other passenger aircraft of the day. 

The 747 was originally developed as a military transport, but the U.S. military ended up choosing a Lockheed Corp. design instead, leaving Boeing with a hugely expensive project and no one to sell it to. Boeing staked its future on making the 747 into a civilian airliner instead, and in January 1970 the plane took off on its first commercial flight between New York and London for Pan American World Airways.

The Boeing 747 began to be phased out as jet fuel prices surged and airlines started looking towards new jets that are capable of longer, more fuel-efficient flights such as the Boeing 777 and 787.

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