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LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - British Airways will bid farewell
to its final London-based Boeing 747s on Thursday with a rare
synchronised dual take off for the "Queen of the Skies", the jet
which brought long-haul flights to the masses.
Once the world's largest operator of the 747, BA has now
retired its entire jumbo jet fleet after the COVID-19 pandemic
curtailed most air travel, accelerating the move to more
fuel-efficient planes.
Chief Executive Alex Cruz said it would "be a difficult day
for everybody at British Airways as the aircraft leaves our home
at Heathrow for the very last time."
For over 50 years, the 747 has been the world's most easily
recognised jetliner with its humped fuselage, four engines and
16 main wheels.
It took its maiden flight in 1969 and soon secured its place
in history as the jet which allowed more affordable air travel
due its size and range.
Passengers have included John Paul II, who arrived for the
first visit to Ireland by a pope on an Aer Lingus 747 in 1979.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile on an
Air France jumbo during the same year's Islamic Revolution.
BA's predecessor airline BOAC first introduced the 747 on
the London-New York route in 1971, and at its peak BA had a
fleet of 57 747-400s.
Former pilots have relayed how the jet initially took some
getting used to, from a cockpit positioned almost 30 feet above
the ground and more when angling the nose higher just before
touching the runway.
"It was like landing a block of flats from the 2nd floor,"
Hugh Dibley, a former BOAC captain, told Reuters.
On Thursday the final two 747s will take off from Heathrow
at 0730 GMT with a rarely seen synchronised dual take off on
parallel runways before one conducts a fly-past along the
southerly runway, weather permitting.
BA's Cruz said the company wanted to pay tribute to the jets
and the millions of customers and BA colleagues who had flown on
them.
The owner of British Airways, IAG, is battling to
survive after the pandemic wiped out much of the global flying
market.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Catherine Evans/Guy
Faulconbridge)
