It has transported presidents,monarchs and refugees and provided a piggy-back for the Space Shuttle.But now the plane with a hump could be heading for the dump.
British Airways,the worlds leading operator of the Boeing 747,this week announced plans to start replacing its jumbo jets with smaller but much more efficient 787 jets.
The 787 Dreamliner is currently grounded because of safety concerns,but Willie Walsh,chief executive of BAs holding company,IAG,said he was confident of its long-term prospects: The aircraft offers a step change in fuel-burn efficiency versus our existing aircraft.His counterpart at Cathay Pacific,John Slosar,has already made plans to retire the jumbo by next year,saying : They are simply not economical to operate in these times of soaring fuel prices.
The Boeing 747 was the first wide-bodied passenger aircraft.When it entered service in January 1970,it cut the cost of flying dramatically and opened up the world to middle-class travellers.
Flying passengers on an old and thirsty aircraft is an expensive business,which explains BAs plans to retire its fleet of 57 jumbo jets.Some are being replaced by the Boeing 777-300,which can almost match the 747s capacity.But the airline has indicated the 787 aircraft will replace the jumbo on a one-for-one basis.The prototype for a radical option for the retired jets is to be found in a corner of Stockholms Arlanda airport where a former Pan Am jumbo has been converted into a hotel.THE INDEPENDENT
http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=13§id=edid=&edlabel=TOIKRKO&mydateHid=07-04-2013&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kochi&edname=&articleid=Ar01307&publabel=TOI
British Airways,the worlds leading operator of the Boeing 747,this week announced plans to start replacing its jumbo jets with smaller but much more efficient 787 jets.
The 787 Dreamliner is currently grounded because of safety concerns,but Willie Walsh,chief executive of BAs holding company,IAG,said he was confident of its long-term prospects: The aircraft offers a step change in fuel-burn efficiency versus our existing aircraft.His counterpart at Cathay Pacific,John Slosar,has already made plans to retire the jumbo by next year,saying : They are simply not economical to operate in these times of soaring fuel prices.
The Boeing 747 was the first wide-bodied passenger aircraft.When it entered service in January 1970,it cut the cost of flying dramatically and opened up the world to middle-class travellers.
Flying passengers on an old and thirsty aircraft is an expensive business,which explains BAs plans to retire its fleet of 57 jumbo jets.Some are being replaced by the Boeing 777-300,which can almost match the 747s capacity.But the airline has indicated the 787 aircraft will replace the jumbo on a one-for-one basis.The prototype for a radical option for the retired jets is to be found in a corner of Stockholms Arlanda airport where a former Pan Am jumbo has been converted into a hotel.THE INDEPENDENT
http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=13§id=edid=&edlabel=TOIKRKO&mydateHid=07-04-2013&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kochi&edname=&articleid=Ar01307&publabel=TOI
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