B747 flyr snart inn i solnedgangen

Boeing 747 may be flying into the sunset

Demand is falling for the renowned jumbo jet introduced more than 40 years ago as airlines switch to smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

 

Den orginale B747 på Museum of Flight, Renton. Foto: Per Gram

By W.J. Hennigan

October 31, 2013, 5:00 a.m.

 

When Boeing Co. launched the 747 more than 40 years ago, nearly every aspect of the plane was novel.

The jumbo jet was almost three times larger than the largest aircraft flying at the time. It required four massive jet engines for power. It was so wide that a veteran Los Angeles Times aviation writer described the cabin as a "luxurious auditorium some genie had wafted aloft."

In the years that followed, the plane has transformed travel in a way that few have. But now it appears that time has caught up with the renowned jet as many airlines switch to smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft.