Transportation

Photos: Boeing's 747 jumbo jet from first flight to final assembly

KNKX Public Radio | By Cara Kuhlman,

Published January 31, 2023 at 11:43 AM PST

1 of 10 — BOEING 747 FIRST FLIGHT

Boeing's jumbo jet 747 leaves the ground on its first flight at the Boeing plant in Everett, Wash., Sunday, Feb. 9, 1969. The 747, powered by four jet engines and capable of carrying over 400 passengers, became the world's largest commercial aircraft at the time.

ASSOCIATED PRESS / AP

2 of 10 — BOEING 747 COMMERCIAL JET

A Boeing model 747, then the largest commercial jetliner in the world, flies over the Puget Sound area of western Washington state in Oct. 1969. The 747 jet is accompanied by a Sabre V chase plane, background, to observe certain flight tests.

ASSOCIATED PRESS / AP

3 of 10 — The Last Boeing 747

A Boeing 747 takes off from Seattle in January 1970. Boeing bids farewell to an icon on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, when it delivers the jumbo jet to cargo carrier Atlas Air. Since it debuted in 1969, the 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft, but it has been rendered obsolete by more profitable and fuel-efficient models.

Anonymous / AP

4 of 10 — Unemployment Boeing

A worker on lunch break reading his newspaper at Boeing's 747 plant in Everett, Wash., 25 miles north of Seattle, Jan. 25, 1971. Two years after the launch of the 747, Boeing faced a sharp decline in business, a pattern that continued over the years as plane orders waxed and waned.

Barry Sweet / AP

5 of 10 — Teng Hsiao-Ping Boeing

Boeing Company President T.A. Wilson gives Vice Premier of China Teng Hsiao-ping a closer look at how Boeing builds its giant 747 aircraft at their Everett, Wash., plant, Feb. 4, 1979. Seattle was Teng's final stop on his American tour.

AP / AP

6 of 10 — Space Ships Shuttle Enterprise Boeing 747

The prototype space shuttle Enterprise flies over New York City Friday, June 10, 1983, on its return trip from Europe. The shuttle, mounted piggy-back atop a Boeing 747, extended its brief overflight by 20 minutes at the request of then-New York City Mayor Edward Koch to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Richard Drew / AP

7 of 10 — Bill Clinton Boeing

President Bill Clinton addresses aircraft workers and airline industry leaders in Everett, Washington Monday, Feb. 22, 1993 at the Boeing aircraft plant. In the background is a Boeing 747 under construction. Clinton visited the Boeing plant after a two-day trip to California where he touted plans to spend billions of dollars creating high-technology jobs and promised help for the troubled aerospace industry.

Jeff Reinking / AP

8 of 10 — Boeing Orders

The rear hatch of a Dreamlifter plane, a modified 747 designed for hauling freight, is opened at the plant Thursday, April 30, 2009, in Everett, Wash. Boeing Co. on Thursday, May 7, 2009 reported a sharp drop in orders for its commercial jetliners in April, as the troubled global economy continued to hurt demand from airlines and cargo services.

Elaine Thompson / AP

9 of 10 — The Last Boeing 747

Military personnel watch as Air Force One, with President Donald Trump aboard, prepares to depart at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., on Feb. 17, 2017. Boeing bids farewell to an icon on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, when it delivers the jumbo jet to cargo carrier Atlas Air. Since it debuted in 1969, the 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft, but it has been rendered obsolete by more profitable and fuel-efficient models.

Andrew Harnik / AP

10 of 10 — Boeing Everett Production Facility

Workers assemble the third to last Boeing 747 aircraft at Boeing's Everett Production Facility Wednesday, June 15, 2022 in Everett, Wash.

Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times via AP Pool

On Tuesday, Boeing is delivering its final 747 jumbo jet in Everett, Wash. From its first flight in 1969 to assembling some of the final 747s in 2022, photos show the revolutionary plane over its 54 year production run — which started and will now end in the Puget Sound region.

Since its debut, the 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft. It revolutionized international travel.

But over about the past 15 years, Boeing and its European rival Airbus have introduced more profitable and fuel efficient wide-body planes, with two engines instead of the 747's four. The final plane is the 1,574th built by Boeing in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. It's being deliveredto cargo carrier Atlas Air.