The Incredible Boeing 747-400: Which Airlines Still Operate Them Today?

With a production run that spanned over three decades, the Boeing 747-400 has been a reliable aircraft with 694 planes built. As the 35th anniversary of the 747-400’s inaugural flight approaches, it’s essential to review which airlines are still operating these planes with the most significant number of flight cycles.

Modernizing the 747-400

As the sales of the Boeing 747 began to decrease, Boeing aimed to enhance the aircraft’s fuel efficiency, interior design, and electronics. To ensure that the updated model would meet the requirements of their customers, Boeing collaborated with major airlines such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, KLM, Lufthansa, Northwest, Qantas, and Singapore Airlines. Their suggestions included a two-pilot system and a greater range with improved fuel efficiency.

Northwest Airlines: The Launch Customer

Northwest Airlines was the launch customer for the upgraded Boeing 747-400, receiving their first aircraft in February 1989. Even before the first 747-400 rolled out of the factory, Boeing had already received 100 orders for the updated model.

The Most Active 747-400s

• Royal Air Maroc received the Boeing 747-400 with the registration CN-RGA in 1993, which has an impressive 14,077 flight cycles to date.
• Air China‘s 747-400 registered as B-2447 was delivered new in 1995 and has accumulated 13,710 flight cycles.
• Lufthansa received D-ABVU in 1998, which currently has 13,419 flight cycles and is deployed on the Frankfurt to Delhi route.
• Delivered new to Lufthansa in 1998, the Boeing 747-400 registered as D-ABVM has 13,408 flight cycles.
• Lufthansa’s 23-year-old Boeing 747-400, registered as D-ABVW, was delivered in 1999 and has 13,003 flight cycles. It currently operates on the Frankfurt to Seoul route.
• The plane registered as D-ABVX, delivered new to Lufthansa in 1999, has 12,546 flight cycles.
• D-ABVY, which currently operates on the Frankfurt to Bengaluru route, was delivered new to Lufthansa in 2000 and has 12,130 flight cycles.
• Delivered new to Lufthansa in 2001, D-ABVZ has 12,066 flight cycles.
• Lufthansa took delivery of D-ABTK in 2001, which currently has 11,401 flight cycles.
• The Boeing 747-400 registered as D-ABTL was delivered new to Lufthansa in 2002 and has 11,351 flight cycles.
• Air Atlanta Europe‘s 9H-AZA is currently wet-leased to Saudia and has 8,626 flight cycles.
• 9H-AZC, which operates under a wet lease agreement with Air Atlanta Europe, was first delivered to Malaysian Airline System (MAS) in 2002 and has 7,035 flight cycles.

Active 747s without flight data

N176UA was delivered to United Airlines in 1990 but has not been recorded as having any flight cycles since being sold to Blue Airways and later to Iran’s Mahan Air. Currently, it operates flights between Tehran and Moscow. Another plane originally delivered to Korean Air in 1998, was subsequently sold to MaxAir in Nigeria and now operates as 5N-HMM on the Kano to Jeddah route.

As the 747-400 continues to fly the skies, these active planes with high flight cycles are a testament to the durability and longevity of this iconic aircraft.

Also, you might be interested in reading: 747-300 Returns to the Skies

Sources

• Source: Simple Flying

Mina Maher

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