As Wilbur Sargunaraj makes an important trip home, he uses the opportunity to take one last flight on his beloved Boeing 747-400.
For more than 30 years it’s been the backdrop to our everyday stories – starring in songs and movies, taking us to the world, bringing us together, and bringing us home. Born out of a need to transport hundreds of passengers over great distances and make air travel available to everyone, the 747, and specifically its hugely popular -400 variant, revolutionised air travel as we know it.
Sadly, the pandemic resulted in many airlines scrapping what remained of their quad-jet fleets, forcing their 747-400s into earlier than expected retirement. While its size, range, and reliability mean that freighter versions will be around for a while yet, there are only a handful of scheduled passenger airlines that continue to operate the Queen of the Skies.
