The Yomiuri Shimbun
The last Boeing 747 commercial passenger plane in Japan will take to the skies Monday when All Nippon Airways operates the plane from Naha to Tokyo.
The jumbo jet had been carrying passengers for more than 40 years in this country.
The aircraft that can transport more than 500 people and a large amount of cargo in its giant body has connected Japan with the rest of the world.
“I loved the outline of the plane that made everybody realize it was the jumbo jet,” said a 31-year-old company employee from Suita, Osaka Prefecture, during a tour inside a 747, held in an ANA hangar at Haneda Airport on March 22.
ANA’s last scheduled commercial passenger flight for the 747, Flight 126, will take off Monday at 12:35 p.m. from Naha, bound for Haneda Airport. The scheduled arrival time is 3 p.m. Seats on the flight were fully booked shortly after reservations started to be accepted.
ANA officials said the airline has been receiving messages almost every day from fans of the iconic aircraft, with saying, for example, “It’s unfortunate that it's being retired,” and “Thanks for giving us good memories.”
The 747 made its debut in Japan in March 1970, when a Pan American World Airways flight arrived at Haneda from the United States. About 10,000 people packed the airport to see the plane.
Japan Airlines began operating the 747 in July 1970. JAL once owned a fleet of more than 110 747s, including cargo planes, and used to be the world’s biggest operator of the aircraft.
For ANA, the 747 was the symbol of the beginning of its international flight operations. In 1986, ANA opened routes to the United States, introducing 747 aircraft one after another as it expanded its overseas routes.
“[The 747 planes] have raised ANA to the world stage as an airline,” said a 50-year-old pilot who has flown 747 aircraft for 21 years at ANA.
ANA’s last 747 flight uses the Boeing 747-400 aircraft, which is 70.7 meters long and 59.6 meters wide, according to the airline. As a passenger plane model, it is still one of the world’s largest aircraft. The main features are a set of four engines and the cockpit on the second floor of the body.
JAL discontinued using the 747 in March 2011. In Japan, the 747 will still be used as government planes and Nippon Cargo Airlines operates cargo versions of the aircraft.
ANA’s 747 often became a popular topic of conversation for the special, colorful painted decorations on the fuselage.
In 1993, ANA introduced the Marine Jumbo that had the image of a whale painted on the aircraft body.
In September last year when the last flight of ANA’s Pikachu Jumbo with the image of the Pikachu character of Pokemon fame arrived at Haneda Airport, a ground controller sent a message to the aircraft via wireless saying, “Thank you for having provided children with dreams for a long time.”
The pilot added, “Though I feel sad because it seems one era is coming to a close, [the 747] have supported Japan’s economic growth and continued flying into the 21st century. I’d like to say to the aircraft, ‘Thanks for all your hard work.’”
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