Thai Airways has officially bid a fond farewell to the Boeing 747 ‘Queen of the Skies’ at a special ceremony in Thailand.
Perhaps prompted by the retirement of Air India’s last four Boeing 747-400s on April 22, 2024, Thai Airways gathered staff and rolled out a fancy carpet to pay homage to the original superjumbo jet.
On April 23, 2024, Thai Airways posted a photo at the retirement ceremony with tables and chairs gathered around the engineless Boeing 747-400 inside a hangar.
Farewell, Thai Airways Boeing 747-400. pic.twitter.com/dm52ZbHis6
— YOSHIRJNK (@YOSHIRJNK) April 23, 2024
“Queen of the Sky Farewell Share your cherished memories with the Boeing 747, the iconic Queen of the Sky, as Thai Airways bids adieu,” Thai Airways wrote on social media.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, Thai Airways planned to retire its fleet of nine Boeing 747 fleet by the end of 2024.
However, in March 2020, the flag carrier placed all its Boeing 747s into storage, except for the HS-TGF, which was stored in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) on December 31, 2020.
As the aviation industry began to recover following the pandemic the Boeing 747 became surplus to requirements at Thai Airways and the decision was made to pull the aircraft from the fleet.
Thai Airways Boeing 747 Takeoff at Narita Airport#Thaiairways #B747 #成田空港 pic.twitter.com/erN5cXCFo2
— 飛行機大好きチャンネル / UNI'S AIRLINE 中のひと (@UniAirline) April 23, 2024
The 747 was of course not the only large jet to be pulled from service, with the airline’s six Airbus A380 also sharing the same fate.
Lufthansa currently operates the largest fleet of Boeing 747-400s, with eight still flying the ‘Queen of the Sky’ flag.
Other airlines still operating the Boeing 747-400 include Atlas Air, Air Atlanta Europe, and Air China.
