The Boeing 747 has had a fantastic run. Among the aircraft types that defined the aviation industry, the Queen of the Skies has certainly had a role in shaping how passengers (and cargo) move around the world. With the final 747 being delivered in 2023, we take a look at how the earliest jumbo jet, compares with the latest.

Passenger variant first, freighter variant last

January 1970 saw the Boeing 747-100 enter service with American carrier Pan Am. The aircraft was the first-ever widebody commercial jet and began its life carrying passengers, despite its upper-deck cockpit design to accommodate cargo through the nose. Interestingly, it wouldn’t be until 1972 that a dedicated 747 freighter would enter service. It was in April 1972 that the first 747 freighter, designated the 747-200F, began flying with German carrier Lufthansa.

Moving forward 53 years and it’s a 747 freighter that will be the last jumbo jet delivered to a customer. Indeed, the last passenger variant – the 747-8i – was delivered to Korean Air nearly six years ago, in May 2017. Soon, Atlas Air will take the final freighter.

Comparing passenger variants

Putting the first and last passenger variants of the 747 side by side, here is how numbers would compare: