British Airways retires all its 28 Boeing 747 jets

BENGALURU (India) • British Airways (BA), the world's largest operator of the iconic Boeing 747, said late on Thursday it would retire all its 28 jumbo jets with immediate effect due to the downturn in the travel industry caused by the pandemic.

Global curbs imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus led to turbulence in air travel, placing the future of many airline firms in doubt.

"It is unlikely our magnificent 'queen of the skies' will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again," the company said in a statement.

BA, owned by International Consolidated Airlines Group, added that it will operate more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A-350 and Boeing 787 and expects such aircraft to help in achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

A wave of restructuring triggered by the pandemic is hitting airlines and industrial firms worldwide.

The Sun newspaper reported last month that BA had reached an agreement with its pilots to sack 350 and place another 300 in a "pool" for rehiring when needed. The majority of pilots being "pooled" were expected to be the jumbo jet first officers, said the report.

Boeing's 747, a plane that democratised global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine aircraft, marked its 50th flying anniversary in February last year.

The United States-based aerospace company and its suppliers signalled the end of the plane when they set the final number of parts it would need for the 747 programme at least a year ago. However, the decision was left in limbo for years amid falling orders and pricing pressure.

REUTERS