Air India says goodbye to one of its last Boeing 747s with a wing wave

Air India says goodbye to one of its last Boeing 747s with a wing wave

Over the course of fifty-five years, Boeing produced 1,574 four-engine B747 aircraft for more than a hundred clients, including Air India.

One of the first users of this aircraft was Air India, which added the 500-seater aircraft to its fleet as early as 1971.

At the city airport on Monday morning, employees of Air India said farewell to one of their last "Queens of the Skies"—the legendary Boeing 747 that flew commercial, VIP, and evacuation flights for the airline for over fifty years. A 'wing wave' maneuver also signaled the end of an era for Air India, which began operations in 1932 and is now controlled by the Tata Group, when the double-decker aircraft took to the skies above Mumbai its route to the United States.

An airplane may "wing wave," or descend from one side to the other while in the air, usually in honor of retiring aircraft. According to authorities, the Boeing 747 has flown several significant flights for Air India, including two medical evacuation flights to Wuhan, China, in the early stages of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Air India shared a video of a Boeing 747 taking off and doing a "wing wave" and said how much it would miss the legendary aircraft.

We bid farewell to the B747, the first of our last "Queen of the Skies," as it departs Mumbai today. I'm grateful for the period of magnificent flying. We will miss your legendary presence," the airline said on X. The video footage shows the aircraft taxiing and taking off as many Air India employees wave at it and perform the "wing wave" maneuver. On the flightradar24 website, the flight was one of the most watched flights. The operator of the Mumbai airport shared the video footage on X on Monday, stating that Air India's Boeing 747 departs the airport for the last time.

"Catch a glimpse of this historic moment as it departs over your #GatewayToGoodness giving a perfect goodbye wave and leaving us all awestruck," it said. The Boeing 747 made its maiden commercial flight on a domestic route in March 2021, and Air India acquired the legendary aircraft in 1971. October 1996 saw the introduction of the Boeing 747, known as Agra, into the then-government-owned Air India. It took off from the Mumbai airport on Monday.

Air India has sold the last four Boeing 747s. Preceding the arrival of Boeing 777s, the 747, also dubbed the "Queen of the Skies," carried Indian presidents, vice presidents, and prime ministers for a considerable amount of time. 423 seats, comprising 12 First Class, 26 Business Class, and 385 Economy Class seats, were available aboard Air India's 747 aircraft. On September 30, 1968, Boeing delivered its first B747-100 aircraft, and on January 21, 1970, Pan Am Airlines became the first airline to operate a 747 on the New York–London route.

One of the first users of this aircraft was Air India, which added the 500-seater aircraft to its fleet as early as 1971. In addition to utilizing them for commercial flights for little over 50 years, Air India also used two of these aircraft to transport the President, Vice President, and Prime Minister (VVIPs) until two renovated B777s took their place in October 2020. In November 2022, when Air India and the Tata Group agreed to sell the four 747s, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) deregistered them altogether.

The aircraft manufacturer said in July 2020 that, due to market desire, it will cease manufacturing of the 'Queen of the Skies' by the end of 2022, after almost 52 years of operation of the renowned jumbo aircraft program. According to Boeing, Atlas Air was the last 747 client to place an order for four 747-8 freighters. December 6, 2022, saw the final B747 leave the manufacturing plant.

Over the course of fifty-five years, Boeing produced 1,574 four-engine B747 aircraft for more than a hundred clients, including Air India. The Tata Group acquired the financially troubled Air India in January 2022.