BRITISH AIRWAYS to retire 747 fleet amid downturn.

Pandemic speeds up jet retirement

LONDON — British Airways, the world’s biggest operator of Boeing Co. 747400s, is retiring its entire fleet of the jumbo jets with immediate effect because of the damage the coronavirus has done to air travel.

“It is unlikely our magnificent ‘queen of the skies’ will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the covid-19 global pandemic,” the airline, a unit of International Airlines Group SA, said in a statement Friday.

The airline, which was the world’s biggest operator of the 747-400 model, had already planned to ground its fleet of 31 of the iconic wide-bodied jets in 2024.

But the pandemic, which has seen most of the world’s planes grounded for the best part of three months, has hastened its journey into retirement, especially as forecasters predict that passenger numbers will remain lower than normal, potentially for years to come.

The 747- 400, which seats 345 passengers in four classes and can reach a top speed of 614 mph, flew to destinations including Beijing, New York, San Francisco, Cape Town and

Lagos, until covid-19 struck and forced the airline to park them. British Airways had planned to finish phasing out the aircraft in 2024.

The airline’s predecessor, BOAC, first used the 747 in 1971 and as with many airlines, the plane — affectionately referred to as either the “jumbo jet” or the “queen of the skies” — became a symbol of the new age of mass travel to all corners of the planet.

Routes served by the 747s, which accounted for about 11% of British Airways’ fleet, will be replaced by twin-engine Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 long- haul aircraft that British Airways says are about 25% more fuel efficient. The carrier has 32 787s and six A350s in its fleet, with orders for another 10 787s and 12 A350s.

More than 1,500 jumbos were produced by Boeing, and it has historically been a commercial success for the manufacturer and the airlines. But its heyday is long in the past and any sight of the jet, with its distinctive hump at the top, is now a rarity.

Just 30 of the planes were

in service as of Tuesday, with a further 132 in storage, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Qantas Airways Ltd. is among the other carriers to recently retire the 747, offering farewell “joy flights” above Australian cities earlier this week. A handful continue to operate the jumbo for passenger services, including Air China Ltd. and Korean Air Lines Co.

“While the aircraft will always have a special place in our heart, as we head into the future we will be operating more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft,” British Airways said.

Airlines around the world have struggled to cope with the collapse in demand caused by the pandemic. In the U. K., British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic have all announced job cuts and reduced operations.

JOB CUTS, ART SELLOFF

British Airways has come under fire for its plans to eliminate 12,000 jobs, about 30% of its workforce, while also tapping a state furlough initiative aimed at protecting employment. In another sign of its precarious financial position, the airline is planning to sell paintings and prints from its corporate art collection.

International Airlines Group has been working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley to review its strategy and liquidity needs, people familiar with the matter said last month. Its other units include Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling.

Unite, a union that represents many workers in the aviation industry, urged the government to use the retirement of the 747 to bring forward an aircraft scrappage plan — promoting replacement of old equipment with modern types — to boost investments in greener aircraft as well as aerospace manufacturing.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would examine the idea of a scrappage scheme for old and highly polluting aircraft.

“British Airways’ retirement of the 747 should be the impetus he needs to put such a scheme into action,” Unite national officer Rhys McCarthy said.

Shutdowns, travel restrictions and social distancing measures have slashed demand for global air travel, leading to the cancellation of thousands upon thousands of flights. And those that are flying are doing so with mostly empty seats. Airlines were at 45% capacity as of this week — in what would normally be the height of summer travel — compared with the same week last year, according to the Official Airline Guide, the global travel data provider. The International Civil Aviation Organization estimates that by the end of 2020, world passenger traffic will have fallen 50% to 60%.

In previous crises — such as after the Sept. 11 attacks and during the Persian Gulf War — airlines might see a 2% to 3% decline in total miles flown by paying customers, said Richard Aboulafia, vice president at Teal Group, an aerospace and defense analysis company. If the fourth quarter of 2020 is merciful, most will be down roughly 55%, he estimates.

At the peak of the crisis, about two- thirds of commercial jets worldwide were parked.

“It doesn’t resemble anything we’ve seen in history,” Aboulafia said. “This is on a completely different scale.”