Boeing 747#Specifications

File:AirBridgeCargo Airlines Boeing 747-200F nose loading door open and cargo loader at Sheremetyevo International Airport.jpg

In 1963, the United States Air Force began a series of study projects on a very large strategic transport aircraft. Although the C-141 Starlifter was being introduced, officials believed that a much larger and more capable aircraft was needed, especially to carry cargo that would not fit in any existing aircraft. These studies led to initial requirements for the CX-Heavy Logistics System (CX-HLS) in March 1964 for an aircraft with a load capacity of {{convert|180000|lb|t|sigfig=3}} and a speed of Mach 0.75 ({{convert|500|mph|kn km/h|sigfig=2|abbr=on|disp=out}}), and an unrefueled range of {{convert|5000|nmi|sigfig=2}} with a payload of {{convert |115000|lb|t|sigfig=3}}. The payload bay had to be {{convert|17|ft|m|sigfig=3}} wide by {{convert|13.5|ft|m|sigfig=3}} high and {{convert|100|ft|m|sigfig=2}} long with access through doors at the front and rear.Norton 2003, pp. 5–12.

The desire to keep the number of engines to four required new engine designs with greatly increased power and better fuel economy. In May 1964, airframe proposals arrived from Boeing, Douglas, General Dynamics, Lockheed, and Martin Marietta; engine proposals were submitted by General Electric, Curtiss-Wright, and Pratt & Whitney. Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed were given additional study contracts for the airframe, along with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney for the engines.

The airframe proposals shared several features. As the CX-HLS needed to be able to be loaded from the front, a door had to be included where the cockpit usually was. All of the companies solved this problem by moving the cockpit above the cargo area; Douglas had a small "pod" just forward and above the wing, Lockheed used a long "spine" running the length of the aircraft with the wing spar passing through it, while Boeing blended the two, with a longer pod that ran from just behind the nose to just behind the wing.[https://web.archive.org/web/20141014202050/http://airwaysnews.com/html/museums/boeing-archives-bellevue-washington-usa/boeing-cx-hls-model-196364/19149 Boeing CX-HLS Model], Boeing Corporate Archives, 1963/64.
[http://bemil.chosun.com/nbrd/gallery/view.html?b_bbs_id=10044&num=169918 Models of Boeing C-5A proposal and Lockheed's] (Korean); [http://bemil.chosun.com/nbrd/bbs/view.html?b_bbs_id=10050&num=4082 next page].[http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Partners/C_5.html "Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Partners in Freedom."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214134934/http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Partners/C_5.html |date=December 14, 2007}} NASA, 2000, see images in "Langley Contributions to the C-5". Retrieved: December 17, 2007. In 1965, Lockheed's aircraft design and General Electric's engine design were selected for the new C-5 Galaxy transport, which was the largest military aircraft in the world at the time. Boeing carried the nose door and raised cockpit concepts over to the design of the 747.Jenkins 2000, pp. 12–13.

The 747 was conceived while air travel was increasing in the 1960s.Norris & Wagner 1997, p. 13. The era of commercial jet transportation, led by the enormous popularity of the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8, had revolutionized long-distance travel.{{Cite web |title=Boeing Multimedia Image Gallery 707 |url= http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/images/commercial/707-03.html |url-status=dead |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120111124513/http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/images/commercial/707-03.html |archive-date=January 11, 2012 |access-date=December 8, 2007 |publisher=The Boeing Company}} In this growing jet age, Juan Trippe, president of Pan American Airways (Pan Am), one of Boeing's most important airline customers, asked for a new jet airliner {{frac|2|1|2}} times size of the 707, with a 30% lower cost per unit of passenger-distance and the capability to offer mass air travel on international routes.{{Cite magazine |last=Branson |first=Richard |date=December 7, 1998 |title=Pilot of the Jet Age |url=https://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,989780,00.html |magazine=Time|access-date=December 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211231535/https://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,989780,00.html|archive-date=December 11, 2022|url-status=live}} Trippe also thought that airport congestion could be addressed by a larger new aircraft.{{Cite web |title=Innovators: Juan Trippe |url=http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/innovators/jtrippe.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508065647/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/innovators/jtrippe.html |archive-date=May 8, 2006 |website=Chasing the Sun |publisher=PBS}}

File:Iran Air Boeing 747-200 cockpit Sharifi.jpg 747-200, showing an early-production 747 cockpit with a flight engineer, located on the upper deck |alt= A view of an early-production 747 cockpit]]

In 1965, Joe Sutter was transferred from Boeing's 737 development team to manage the design studies for the new airliner, already assigned the model number 747.Sutter 2006, pp. 80–84. Sutter began a design study with Pan Am and other airlines to better understand their requirements. At the time, many thought that long-range subsonic airliners would eventually be superseded by supersonic transport aircraft.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/852087.stm "Air travel, a supersonic future?"]. BBC News, July 17, 2001. Retrieved: December 9, 2007. Boeing responded by designing the 747 so it could be adapted easily to carry freight and remain in production even if sales of the passenger version declined.{{Cite web |last=Slutsken |first=Howard |date=2017-11-07 |title=How Boeing's 747 jumbo jet changed travel |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/boeing-747-jumbo-jet-travel/index.html |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}

In April 1966, Pan Am ordered 25 Boeing 747-100 aircraft for US$525 million{{Cite news |date=April 14, 1966 |title=490-seat jetliner ordered |page=1 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |agency=Associated Press |location=Idaho |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CLBeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gy8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4192%2C2341962}}{{Cite news |date=April 14, 1966 |title=Pan Am orders giant jets |page=A1 |work=Deseret News |agency=UPI |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PthSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4X8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6426%2C3018040}} (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|.525|1966|fmt=c|r=1}} billion in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars). During the ceremonial 747 contract-signing banquet in Seattle on Boeing's 50th Anniversary, Juan Trippe predicted that the 747 would be "…a great weapon for peace, competing with intercontinental missiles for mankind's destiny".{{Cite book |last=Simons |first=Graham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rfpsBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 |title=The Airbus A380: A History |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-78303-041-5 |page=31|publisher=Pen and Sword }} As launch customer,Rumerman, Judy. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121007143215/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/Boeing_747/Aero21.htm "The Boeing 747"]. U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, 2003. Retrieved: April 30, 2006.Noland, David. [http://www.infoplease.com/spot/boeing747.html "Passenger Planes: Boeing 747."] "Info please" (Pearson Education). Retrieved: April 30, 2006. and because of its early involvement before placing a formal order, Pan Am was able to influence the design and development of the 747 to an extent unmatched by a single airline before or since.Irving 1994, p. 359.

Ultimately, the high-winged CX-HLS Boeing design was not used for the 747, although technologies developed for their bid had an influence.[http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Partners/C_5.html "Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Partners in Freedom."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214134934/http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Partners/C_5.html |date=December 14, 2007}} NASA, 2000. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. The original design included a full-length double-deck fuselage with eight-across seating and two aisles on the lower deck and seven-across seating and two aisles on the upper deck.[http://airwaysnews.com/html/museums/boeing-archives-bellevue-washington-usa/boeing-747-double-decker-early-proposed-design-model-mid-to-late-1960s/19091 Boeing 747 "Double Decker" Early Proposed Design Model at Boeing Corporate Archives – mid-to-late 1960s] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150512211307/http://airwaysnews.com/html/museums/boeing-archives-bellevue-washington-usa/boeing-747-double-decker-early-proposed-design-model-mid-to-late-1960s/19091 |date=May 12, 2015}}
[http://airwaysnews.com/html/museums/boeing-archives-bellevue-washington-usa/boeing-747-early-proposed-designs-models-mid-to-late-1960s/19093 (alternate image)] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150512213456/http://airwaysnews.com/html/museums/boeing-archives-bellevue-washington-usa/boeing-747-early-proposed-designs-models-mid-to-late-1960s/19093 |date=May 12, 2015}}Irving 1994, p. 282. However, concern over evacuation routes and limited cargo-carrying capability caused this idea to be scrapped in early 1966 in favor of a wider single deck design. The cockpit was therefore placed on a shortened upper deck so that a freight-loading door could be included in the nose cone; this design feature produced the 747's distinctive "hump". In early models, what to do with the small space in the pod behind the cockpit was not clear, and this was initially specified as a "lounge" area with no permanent seating.Jenkins 2000, p. 17. (A different configuration that had been considered to keep the flight deck out of the way for freight loading had the pilots below the passengers, and was dubbed the "anteater".){{Cite web |url=http://airwaysnews.com/html/museums/boeing-archives-bellevue-washington-usa/boeing-747-anteater-early-proposed-designs-model-mid-to-late-1960s/19088 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616121707/http://airwaysnews.com/html/museums/boeing-archives-bellevue-washington-usa/boeing-747-anteater-early-proposed-designs-model-mid-to-late-1960s/19088 |url-status=dead |title= Airwaysnews Resources and Information |archive-date=June 16, 2015|website=airwaysnews.com}}

File:JT9D on 747.JPG high-bypass turbofan engine was developed for the 747.|alt=The Pratt & Whitney JT9D turbofan suspended under the wing pylon of the 747 prototype. It is stripped of its outer casing, revealing the engine's core at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA]]

One of the principal technologies that enabled an aircraft as large as the 747 to be drawn up was the high-bypass turbofan engine.Mecham, M. "In review: 747, Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation." Aviation Week and Space Technology, Vol. 165, No. 9, September 4, 2006, p. 53. This engine technology was thought to be capable of delivering double the power of the earlier turbojets while consuming one-third less fuel. General Electric had pioneered the concept but was committed to developing the engine for the C-5 Galaxy and did not enter the commercial market until later.[http://www.geae.com/engines/commercial/cf6/history.html "GE Aviation: CF6."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217151126/http://www.geae.com/engines/commercial/cf6/history.html |date=December 17, 2007}} GE Aviation. Retrieved: December 9, 2007.Colson, Michael S. [http://www.memagazine.org/supparch/flight03/jetsfans/jetsfans.html "Mechanical Engineering 100 Years of Flight."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226032720/http://www.memagazine.org/supparch/flight03/jetsfans/jetsfans.html |date=December 26, 2007}} memagazine.org. Retrieved: December 9, 2007. Pratt & Whitney was also working on the same principle and, by late 1966, Boeing, Pan Am and Pratt & Whitney agreed to develop a new engine, designated the JT9D to power the 747.

The project was designed with a new methodology called fault tree analysis, which allowed the effects of a failure of a single part to be studied to determine its impact on other systems. To address concerns about safety and flyability, the 747's design included structural redundancy, redundant hydraulic systems, quadruple main landing gear and dual control surfaces.Sutter 2006, pp. 121, 128–131. Additionally, some of the most advanced high-lift devices used in the industry were included in the new design, to allow it to operate from existing airports. These included Krueger flaps running almost the entire length of the wing's leading edge, as well as complex three-part slotted flaps along the trailing edge of the wing.Guy and Wagner 1997, pp. 25–26.{{Cite journal |last=Rudolph |first=Peter |date=September 1996 |title=High-Lift Systems on Commercial Subsonic Airliners |url= https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19960052267.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19960052267.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |publisher= NASA |access-date=September 16, 2019 |website=ntrs.nasa.gov}} The wing's complex three-part flaps increase wing area by 21% and lift by 90% when fully deployed compared to their non-deployed configuration.Jenkins 2000, p. 19.

Boeing agreed to deliver the first 747 to Pan Am by the end of 1969. The delivery date left 28 months to design the aircraft, which was two-thirds of the normal time.Sutter 2006, pp. 96–97. The schedule was so fast-paced that the people who worked on it were given the nickname "The Incredibles".Guy and Wagner 1997, p. 19. Developing the aircraft was such a technical and financial challenge that management was said to have "bet the company" when it started the project. Due to its massive size, Boeing subcontracted the assembly of subcomponents to other manufacturers, most notably Northrop and Grumman (later merged into Northrop Grumman in 1994) for fuselage parts and trailing edge flaps respectively, Fairchild for tailplane ailerons,Seo 1984, p. 40. and Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) for the empennage.Sutter 2006, p. 132.{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/747-cut-forces-northrop-grumman-to-take-pre-tax-charge/24723.article|title=747 cut forces Northrop Grumman to take pre-tax charge|publisher=FlightGlobal|date=13 January 1999|access-date=August 24, 2023}}

File:Boeing Factory 2002.jpg |alt=Airplane assembly hall, featuring heavy machinery. Large cylindrical airplane sections and wings are readied for mating with other major components. Above are the cranes which ferry heavy and outsize parts of the 747.]]

As Boeing did not have a plant large enough to assemble the giant airliner, they chose to build a new plant. The company considered locations in about 50 cities,Pascall, Glenn R. [http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2003/09/29/editorial3.html "Everett and Renton react differently to Boeing"]. Puget Sound Business Journal, September 26, 2003. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. and eventually decided to build the new plant some {{convert|30|mi|km|sigfig=1}} north of Seattle on a site adjoining a military base at Paine Field near Everett, Washington.{{Cite web |title= Major Production Facilities – Everett, Washington |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/facilities/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115211523/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/facilities/ |archive-date=November 15, 2007 |access-date=April 28, 2007 |publisher= The Boeing Company}} It bought the {{convert|780|acre|ha|adj=on}} site in June 1966.

Developing the 747 had been a major challenge, and building its assembly plant was also a huge undertaking. Boeing president William M. Allen asked Malcolm T. Stamper, then head of the company's turbine division, to oversee construction of the Everett factory and to start production of the 747.Boyer, Tom. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002339060_stamperobit17.html "Boeing legend Malcolm Stamper dies"]. Seattle Times, June 17, 2005. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. To level the site, more than {{convert|4|e6cuyd|e6m3|sigfig=1|sp=us|spell=on|abbr=off}} of earth had to be moved.Irving 1994, p. 310. Time was so short that the 747's full-scale mock-up was built before the factory roof above it was finished.Irving 1994, p. 365. The plant is the largest building by volume ever built, and has been substantially expanded several times to permit construction of other models of Boeing wide-body commercial jets.

File:Boeing 747 rollout (3).jpg was first displayed to the public on September 30, 1968.]]

Before the first 747 was fully assembled, testing began on many components and systems. One important test involved the evacuation of 560 volunteers from a cabin mock-up via the aircraft's emergency chutes. The first full-scale evacuation took two and a half minutes instead of the maximum of 90 seconds mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and several volunteers were injured. Subsequent test evacuations achieved the 90-second goal but caused more injuries. Most problematic was evacuation from the aircraft's upper deck; instead of using a conventional slide, volunteer passengers escaped by using a harness attached to a reel.Irving 1994, p. 383. Tests also involved taxiing such a large aircraft. Boeing built an unusual training device known as "Waddell's Wagon" (named for a 747 test pilot, Jack Waddell) that consisted of a mock-up cockpit mounted on the roof of a truck. While the first 747s were still being built, the device allowed pilots to practice taxi maneuvers from a high upper-deck position.{{Cite web |title=History – 747 Commercial Transport |url=http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/747.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316193220/http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/747.html |archive-date=March 16, 2010 |access-date=April 29, 2006 |publisher=The Boeing Company}}

In 1968, the program cost was US$1 billion{{Cite news |date=June 24, 1989 |title=Building a legend |work=Flight International |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%202006.html}} (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|1|1968|fmt=c|r=1}} billion in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars). On September 30, 1968, the first 747 was rolled out of the Everett assembly building before the world's press and representatives of the 26 airlines that had ordered the airliner.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071001003121/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838835,00.html "All but off the Ground"]. Time, October 4, 1968. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. Over the following months, preparations were made for the first flight, which took place on February 9, 1969, with test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle at the controls[https://web.archive.org/web/20071117074706/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839015,00.html "The Giant Takes Off"]. Time. Retrieved: December 13, 2007.{{Cite web |date=February 9, 2004 |title=Boeing 747, the Queen of the Skies" and "Celebrates 35th Anniversary |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2004/q1/nr_040209g.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207091236/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2004/q1/nr_040209g.html |archive-date=December 7, 2004 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |publisher=The Boeing Company}} and Jess Wallick at the flight engineer's station. Despite a minor problem with one of the flaps, the flight confirmed that the 747 handled extremely well. The 747 was found to be largely immune to "Dutch roll", a phenomenon that had been a major hazard to the early swept-wing jets.Irving 1994, pp. 417–418.

File:Boeing 747 main landing gear.jpg|alt= A view of the 747's four main landing gear, each with four wheels]]

During later stages of the flight test program, flutter testing showed that the wings suffered oscillation under certain conditions. This difficulty was partly solved by reducing the stiffness of some wing components. However, a particularly severe high-speed flutter problem was solved only by inserting depleted uranium counterweights as ballast in the outboard engine nacelles of the early 747s.Irving 1994, p. 428. This measure caused some concern when these aircraft crashed, for example El Al Flight 1862 at Amsterdam in 1992 with {{convert|282|kg|lb|order=flip}} of uranium in the tailplane (horizontal stabilizer); detailed investigations showed, however, that the best estimate of the exposure to depleted uranium was ".. several orders of magnitude less than the workers' limit for chronic exposure."{{Cite journal |last1=Uijt de Haag |first1=P. A. M. |last2=Smetsers |first2=R. C. G. M. |last3=Witlox |first3=H. W. M. |last4=Krüs |first4=H. W. |last5=Eisenga |first5=A. H. M. |date=2000 |title=Evaluating the risk from depleted uranium after the Boeing 747-258F crash in Amsterdam, 1992 |url=http://www.rivm.nl/bibliotheek/digitaaldepot/risico_uranium_bijlmerramp.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.rivm.nl/bibliotheek/digitaaldepot/risico_uranium_bijlmerramp.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=39–58 |doi=10.1016/S0304-3894(00)00183-7 |pmid=10863013|bibcode=2000JHzM...76...39U | issn=0304-3894}}van der Keur, Henk. [http://www.ratical.org/radiation/dhap/dhap997.html "Uranium Pollution from the Amsterdam 1992 Plane Crash"]. Laka Foundation, May 1999. Retrieved: May 16, 2007.

The flight test program was hampered by problems with the 747's JT9D engines. Difficulties included engine stalls caused by rapid throttle movements and distortion of the turbine casings after a short period of service.Irving 1994, pp. 441–446. The problems delayed 747 deliveries for several months; up to 20 aircraft at the Everett plant were stranded while awaiting engine installation.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071117074710/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,844949,00.html "The Trouble with Jumbo"]. Time, September 26, 1969. The program was further delayed when one of the five test aircraft suffered serious damage during a landing attempt at Renton Municipal Airport, the site of Boeing's Renton factory. The incident happened on December 13, 1969, when a test aircraft was flown to Renton to have test equipment removed and a cabin installed. Pilot Ralph C. Cokely undershot the airport's short runway and the 747's right, outer landing gear was torn off and two engine nacelles were damaged.Irving 1994, p. 436.{{Cite web |date=August 26, 1970 |title=Aircraft Incident Report 5-0046 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7019.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7019.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 19, 2022 |website=National Transportation Safety Board}} However, these difficulties did not prevent Boeing from taking a test aircraft to the 28th Paris Air Show in mid-1969, where it was displayed to the public for the first time.[https://www.reuters.com/article/airshow-idUSL148638820070614 "The Paris Air Show in facts and figures."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031030356/http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/14/airshow-idUSL148638820070614 |date=October 31, 2015}} Reuters, June 14, 2007. Retrieved: June 3, 2011. Finally, in December 1969, the 747 received its FAA airworthiness certificate, clearing it for introduction into service.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090331202213/http://www.janes.com/transport/news/jawa/jawa001031_n_1.shtml "Boeing 747-400"]. Jane's All the World's Aircraft, October 31, 2000. Retrieved: July 15, 2011.

The huge cost of developing the 747 and building the Everett factory meant that Boeing had to borrow heavily from a banking syndicate. During the final months before delivery of the first aircraft, the company had to repeatedly request additional funding to complete the project. Had this been refused, Boeing's survival would have been threatened.Irving 1994, pp. 437–438. The firm's debt exceeded $2 billion, with the $1.2 billion owed to the banks setting a record for all companies. Allen later said, "It was really too large a project for us."{{Cite book |last=Heppenheimer, T. A. |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/contents.htm |title=The Space Shuttle Decision |publisher=NASA |year=1998 |pages=302=303}} Ultimately, the gamble succeeded, and Boeing held a monopoly in very large passenger aircraft production for many years.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130621192058/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/jumbo-challenge-3750/ "Jumbo challenge"] Flightglobal.com, November 6, 1997. Retrieved: July 15, 2011.

File:Pat Nixon christens Boeing 747 2749-18.jpg christened the first commercial 747 on January 15, 1970.]]

On January 15, 1970, First Lady Pat Nixon christened Pan Am's first 747 at Dulles International Airport in the presence of Pan Am chairman Najeeb Halaby.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K6hVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9OADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6406%2C3076731 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=President's wife christens giant jet |date=January 15, 1970 |page=5A}} Instead of champagne, red, white, and blue water was sprayed on the aircraft. The 747 entered service on January 22, 1970, on Pan Am's New York–London route;Norris 1997, p. 48. the flight had been planned for the evening of January 21, but engine overheating made the original aircraft (Clipper Young America, registration N735PA) unusable. Finding a substitute delayed the flight by more than six hours to the following day when Clipper Victor (registration N736PA) was used.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080127015913/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878184,00.html "Jumbo and the Gremlins"]. Time, February 2, 1970. Retrieved: December 20, 2007.{{Cite web |title= About the 747 Family |url= http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/background.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121002063408/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/background.html |archive-date=October 2, 2012 |publisher=Boeing Commercial Airplanes}} The 747 enjoyed a fairly smooth introduction into service, overcoming concerns that some airports would not be able to accommodate an aircraft that large.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080127061820/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899789,00.html "Breaking the Ground Barrier"]. Time, September 8, 1967. Retrieved: December 19, 2007. Although technical problems occurred, they were relatively minor and quickly solved.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080127122755/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,909472,00.html "Jumbo Beats the Gremlins"]. Time, July 13, 1970. Retrieved: December 20, 2007.

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| caption2 = Stretched upper deck cabin of later 747s with six-abreast seating

}}

After the initial {{not a typo|747-100}}, Boeing developed the {{nowrap|-100B}}, a higher maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) variant, and the {{nowrap|-100SR}} (Short Range), with higher passenger capacity.[http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_classic_back.html "Boeing 747 Classics"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 15, 2007. Increased maximum takeoff weight allows aircraft to carry more fuel and have longer range.[http://active.boeing.com/commercial/cas/index.cfm?content=include/solutions.cfm&pageid=m34945 "Solutions Center."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015205312/http://active.boeing.com/commercial/cas/index.cfm?content=include%2Fsolutions.cfm&pageid=m34945 |date=October 15, 2015 }} The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 13, 2007. The {{nowrap|-200}} model followed in 1971, featuring more powerful engines and a higher MTOW. Passenger, freighter and combination passenger-freighter versions of the {{nowrap|-200}} were produced. The shortened 747SP (special performance) with a longer range was also developed, and entered service in 1976.[http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=98 "Boeing 747SP."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030225056/http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=98 |date=October 30, 2006}} Airliners.net. Retrieved: November 23, 2007.

The 747 line was further developed with the launch of the {{not a typo|747-300}} on June 11, 1980, followed by interest from Swissair a month later and the go-ahead for the project.{{Rp|86}} The 300 series resulted from Boeing studies to increase the seating capacity of the 747, during which modifications such as fuselage plugs and extending the upper deck over the entire length of the fuselage were rejected. The first {{not a typo|747-300}}, completed in 1983, included a stretched upper deck, increased cruise speed, and increased seating capacity. The -300 variant was previously designated 747SUD for stretched upper deck, then 747-200 SUD,[http://www.aircraft-commerce.com/sample_articles/sample_articles/owners_guide.pdf "Aircraft Owner's and Operator's Guide: 747-200/300"](PDF). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009004335if_/http://www.aircraft-commerce.com/sample_articles/sample_articles/owners_guide.pdf |date=October 9, 2011 }}Aircraft Commerce. Retrieved: July 15, 2011. followed by 747EUD, before the 747-300 designation was used.[http://www.airliners.net/aircraft-data/stats.main?id=99 "Boeing 747-300"]. Airliners.net. Retrieved: June 3, 2011. Passenger, short range and combination freighter-passenger versions of the 300 series were produced.

In 1985, development of the longer range 747-400 began.Lawrence and Thornton 2005, p. 54. The variant had a new glass cockpit, which allowed for a cockpit crew of two instead of three,Salpukas, Agis. [https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/jal-orders-15-more-of-boeing-s-747-400-s.html "J.A.L. Orders 15 More of Boeing's 747-400s"]. Time, July 1, 1988. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. new engines, lighter construction materials, and a redesigned interior. Development costs soared, and production delays occurred as new technologies were incorporated at the request of airlines. Insufficient workforce experience and reliance on overtime contributed to early production problems on the {{not a typo|747-400}}. The -400 entered service in 1989.Norris 1997, p. 88.

In 1991, a record-breaking 1,087 passengers were flown in a 747 during a covert operation to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel.{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2021 |title=El Al Israel Airlines' History. The 1990s. |url=https://www.elal.com/en/About-ELAL/About-ELAL/History/Pages/Decade-90.aspx |access-date=July 24, 2021 |publisher=El Al Israel Airlines |language=en}} Generally, the 747-400 held between 416 and 524 passengers.{{Cite book |last=Angelucci |first=Angelucci |title=World Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft |date=2001 |publisher=Chartwell Books |isbn=0-7858-1389-6 |location=Spain |page=403}} The 747 remained the heaviest commercial aircraft in regular service until the debut of the Antonov An-124 Ruslan in 1982; variants of the 747-400 surpassed the An-124's weight in 2000. The Antonov An-225 Mriya cargo transport, which debuted in 1988, remains the world's largest aircraft by several measures (including the most accepted measures of maximum takeoff weight and length); one aircraft has been completed and was in service until 2022. The Scaled Composites Stratolaunch is currently the largest aircraft by wingspan.{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Tariq |date=April 13, 2019 |title=Stratolaunch Flies World's Largest Plane for the First Time |url=https://www.space.com/stratolaunch-flies-worlds-largest-plane-first-time.html |access-date=April 17, 2025 |website=Space.com |language=en}}

File:Japan Airlines 747-400 Economy cabin.jpg

After the arrival of the {{not a typo|747-400}}, several stretching schemes for the 747 were proposed. Boeing announced the larger 747-500X and {{nowrap|-600X}} preliminary designs in 1996.{{Cite web |date=September 2, 1996 |title=Boeing Outlines the "Value" of Its 747 Plans |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1996/news.release.960902c.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20081024211719/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1996/news.release.960902c.html |archive-date=October 24, 2008 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=The Boeing Company}} The new variants would have cost more than US$5 billion to develop, and interest was not sufficient to launch the program.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071214001602/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1997/03/19/157/ba-warms-to-a3xx-plan.html "BA warms to A3XX plan"]. Flight International, March 19, 1997. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. In 2000, Boeing offered the more modest 747X and 747X stretch derivatives as alternatives to the Airbus A38X. However, the 747X family was unable to attract enough interest to enter production. A year later, Boeing switched from the 747X studies to pursue the Sonic Cruiser,[http://english.people.com.cn/english/200103/30/eng20010330_66406.html "Boeing Shelves 747X to Focus on Faster Jet"]. People's Daily, March 30, 2001. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. and after the Sonic Cruiser program was put on hold, the 787 Dreamliner.Taylor, Alex III. [https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2002/12/09/333457/ "Boeing's Amazing Sonic Cruiser…"] Fortune, December 9, 2002. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. Some of the ideas developed for the 747X were used on the 747-400ER, a longer range variant of the {{not a typo|747-400}}.{{Cite web |date= November 28, 2000 |title=Boeing Launches New, Longer-Range 747-400 |url= http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_001128c.html |url-status=dead |archive-url = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090706141448/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_001128c.html |archive-date=July 6, 2009 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |publisher=The Boeing Company}}

After several variants were proposed but later abandoned, some industry observers became skeptical of new aircraft proposals from Boeing.Holmes, Stanley. [http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2005/id20051116_370967.htm "Boeing's Reborn 747."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208081112/http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2005/id20051116_370967.htm |date=December 8, 2007}} Business Week, November 16, 2005. However, in early 2004, Boeing announced tentative plans for the 747 Advanced that were eventually adopted. Similar in nature to the 747-X, the stretched 747 Advanced used technology from the 787 to modernize the design and its systems. The 747 remained the largest passenger airliner in service until the Airbus A380 began airline service in 2007.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7061164.stm "A380 superjumbo lands in Sydney"]. BBC News. Retrieved: December 10, 2007.

File:Boeing 747-8 Lufthansa D-ABYI at LAX.jpg]]

On November 14, 2005, Boeing announced it was launching the 747 Advanced as the Boeing 747-8.{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2005 |title=Boeing Launches New 747-8 Family |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q4/nr_051114h.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124063705/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q4/nr_051114h.html |archive-date=November 24, 2005 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |publisher=The Boeing Company}} The last 747-400s were completed in 2009.[http://www.businessday.co.nz/world/4842143 "Downhill for the jumbo."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211082459/http://www.businessday.co.nz/world/4842143 |date=February 11, 2009}} The Sydney Morning Herald, January 9, 2009. Retrieved: February 9, 2009. {{As of|2011}}, most orders of the 747-8 were for the freighter variant. On February 8, 2010, the 747-8 Freighter made its maiden flight.Ostrower, Jon. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100212112245/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/08/338138/pictures.html "Boeing's 747-8F lifts off on maiden flight"]. Flightglobal.com, February 8, 2010. The first delivery of the 747-8 went to Cargolux in 2011.[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1448 "Boeing Sets 747-8 Freighter Delivery Schedule for Mid-Year 2011"]. The Boeing Company, September 30, 2010.Trimble, Stephen. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101002103349/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/09/30/347996/boeing-pushes-747-8f-delivery-back-to-mid-2011.html "Boeing pushes 747-8F delivery back to mid-2011/"] Air Transport Intelligence News via Flight global, September 30, 2010. Retrieved: February 22, 2011. The first 747-8 Intercontinental passenger variant was delivered to Lufthansa on May 5, 2012.{{Cite press release |title= Lufthansa conducts inaugural flight of world's first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental passenger aircraft from Frankfurt to Washington, D.C. |date=June 1, 2012 |publisher=Boeing |url=https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2012-06-01-Lufthansa-Conducts-Inaugural-Flight-of-Worlds-First-Boeing-747-8-Intercontinental-Passenger-Aircraft-from-Frankfurt-to-Washington-D-C}} The 1,500th Boeing 747 was delivered in June 2014 to Lufthansa.[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-06-28-Boeing-Delivers-1-500th-747 "Boeing Delivers 1,500th 747"]. Boeing, June 28, 2014.

In January 2016, Boeing stated it was reducing 747-8 production to six per year beginning in September 2016, incurring a $569 million post-tax charge against its fourth-quarter 2015 profits. At the end of 2015, the company had 20 orders outstanding.{{Cite news |date=January 22, 2016 |title=Jumbo jet demise draws a step closer |work=Financial Times |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/812f52e0-c083-11e5-9fdb-87b8d15baec2.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/812f52e0-c083-11e5-9fdb-87b8d15baec2.html |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Ostrower |first=Jon |date=January 22, 2016 |title=Boeing to Cut Production of 747s |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-to-cut-production-of-747s-1453412741}} On January 29, 2016, Boeing announced that it had begun the preliminary work on the modifications to a commercial 747-8 for the next Air Force One presidential aircraft, then expected to be operational by 2020.{{Cite news |date=February 1, 2016 |title=Boeing starts work on replacing Air Force One |work=Air Force Times |url=http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2016/02/01/boeing-starts-work-replacing-air-force-one/79637424/}}

On July 12, 2016, Boeing announced that it had finalized an order from Volga-Dnepr Group for 20 747-8 freighters, valued at $7.58 billion (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=7580000000|start_year=2016}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) at list prices. Four aircraft were delivered beginning in 2012. Volga-Dnepr Group is the parent of three major Russian air-freight carriers – Volga-Dnepr Airlines, AirBridgeCargo Airlines and Atran Airlines. The new 747-8 freighters would replace AirBridgeCargo's current 747-400 aircraft and expand the airline's fleet and will be acquired through a mix of direct purchases and leasing over the next six years, Boeing said.{{Cite web |date=July 12, 2016 |title=Volga-Dnepr Group acquires 20 Boeing 747-8 freighters |url=http://atwonline.com/airframes/volga-dnepr-group-acquires-20-boeing-747-8-freighters? |publisher=Air Transport World}}

On July 27, 2016, in its quarterly report to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Boeing discussed the potential termination of 747 production due to insufficient demand and market for the aircraft.{{Cite web |last=The Boeing Company |date=July 27, 2016 |title=Form 10-Q Quarterly report |url=http://pdf.secdatabase.com/1159/0000012927-16-000143.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://pdf.secdatabase.com/1159/0000012927-16-000143.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |publisher=Securities and Exchange Commission |quote=it is reasonably possible that we could decide to end production of the 747}} With a firm order backlog of 21 aircraft and a production rate of six per year, program accounting had been reduced to 1,555 aircraft.{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2016 |title=Boeing's 747 Struggles Indicate Large-Aircraft Market Decline |url=http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/boeing-s-747-struggles-indicate-large-aircraft-market-decline |website=Aviation Week}} In October 2016, UPS Airlines ordered 14 -8Fs to add capacity, along with 14 options, which it took in February 2018 to increase the total to 28 -8Fs on order.{{Cite web |title=Boeing: UPS Orders 14 Additional 747-8 Freighters, Plus Four 767 Freighters |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/customers/ups/747-8-767-order.page |access-date=March 10, 2018 |website=boeing.com}}{{Cite news |date=February 8, 2019 |title=Fifty years on, Boeing's 747 clings to life as cargo carrier |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-747-anniversary/fifty-years-on-boeings-747-clings-to-life-as-cargo-carrier-idUSKCN1PX17L}} The backlog then stood at 25 aircraft, though several of these were orders from airlines that no longer intended to take delivery.{{Cite news |date=October 27, 2016 |title=UPS orders 14 747-8 Freighters |work=Flight Global |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ups-orders-14-747-8-freighters-430814/}}

File:N863GT EHAM.jpg 747-8F N863GT, the last Boeing 747 to be built and delivered]]

On July 2, 2020, it was reported that Boeing planned to end 747 production in 2022 upon delivery of the remaining jets on order to UPS and the Volga-Dnepr Group due to low demand.{{Cite news |last=Johnsson |first=Julie |date=July 2, 2020 |title=Boeing Quietly Pulls Plug on the 747, Closing Era of Jumbo Jets |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-02/boeing-quietly-pulls-plug-on-the-747-closing-era-of-jumbo-jets |url-access=subscription}} On July 29, 2020, Boeing confirmed that the final 747 would be delivered in 2022 as a result of "current market dynamics and outlook" stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CEO David Calhoun.{{Cite web |last=Hemmerdinger |first=Jon |date=July 29, 2020 |title=Boeing slashes output, delays 777X to 2022 and confirms end for 747 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/boeing-slashes-output-delays-777x-to-2022-and-confirms-end-for-747/139534.article |access-date=August 3, 2020 |publisher=Flightglobal}} The last aircraft, a 747-8F for Atlas Air registered N863GT, rolled off the production line on December 6, 2022,{{Cite news |last=Josephs |first=Leslie |date=December 6, 2022 |title=Boeing's last 747 has rolled out of the factory after a more than 50-year production run |work=CNBC |url= https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/06/boeing-747-production-is-ending-with-shift-to-twin-engine-jets.html}} and was delivered on January 31, 2023.{{Cite news |last1= Chokshi |first1=Niraj |last2= Menghistab |first2=Meron Tekie |last3= Tamayo |first3=Jovelle |last4= Wasson |first4=Lindsey |date= January 31, 2023 |title=The Last Boeing 747 Leaves the Factory |language=en-US |work= The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/business/last-boeing-747-plane.html |issn=0362-4331}} Boeing hosted an event at the Everett factory for thousands of workers as well as industry executives to commemorate the delivery.{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2023 |title=Boeing bids farewell to an icon, delivers last 747 jumbo jet |url= https://apnews.com/article/boeing-delivering-the-last-747-018b4b60e8d8a40aa5bf039c47d81a9a |access-date=February 1, 2023 |publisher=Associated Press}}

File:Boeing 747-100 3-view.png

{{for|design details of a particular generation|Boeing 747-400#Design{{!}}Boeing 747-400|Boeing 747-8#Design{{!}}747-8|Boeing 747SP#Design{{!}}747SP}}

The Boeing 747 is a large, wide-body (two-aisle) airliner with four wing-mounted engines. Its wings have a high sweep angle of 37.5° for a fast, efficient cruise speedSutter 2006, p. 93. of Mach 0.84 to 0.88, depending on the variant. The sweep also reduces the wingspan, allowing the 747 to use existing hangars.Bowers 1989, p. 508. Its seating capacity is over 366 with a 3–4–3 seat arrangement (a cross section of three seats, an aisle, four seats, another aisle, and three seats) in economy class and a 2–3–2 layout in first class on the main deck. The upper deck has a 3–3 seat arrangement in economy class and a 2–2 layout in first class.{{Cite web |date=May 1984 |title=Airplane description |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/airports/acaps/7471sec2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619025715/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/airports/acaps/7471sec2.pdf |archive-date=June 19, 2006 |access-date=June 19, 2006}} The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 13, 2007.

Raised above the main deck, the cockpit creates a hump. This raised cockpit allows front loading of cargo on freight variants. The upper deck behind the cockpit provides space for a lounge and/or extra seating. The "stretched upper deck" became available as an alternative on the {{not a typo|747-100B}} variant and later as standard beginning on the 747-300. The upper deck was stretched more on the 747-8. The 747 cockpit roof section also has an escape hatch from which crew can exit during the events of an emergency if they cannot do so through the cabin.

The 747's maximum takeoff weight ranges from {{Convert|735000|lb|t|abbr=out}} for the -100 to {{Convert|970000|lb|t|abbr=out}} for the -8. Its range has increased from {{Convert|5300|nmi|abbr=out}} on the -100 to {{Convert|8000|nmi|abbr=out}} on the -8I.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071210173616/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_classics.html "Boeing 747-100/200/300 Technical Specifications"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 13, 2007.[http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/747-8_fact_sheet.html "Boeing 747-8 Technical Specifications"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 13, 2007.

File:Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 (ZK-SUH) arrives London Heathrow 17Oct2010 arp.jpg]]

The 747 has redundant structures along with four redundant hydraulic systems and four main landing gears each with four wheels; these provide a good spread of support on the ground and safety in case of tire blow-outs. The main gear are redundant so that landing can be performed on two opposing landing gears if the others are not functioning properly.Sutter 2006, pp. 128–131. The 747 also has split control surfaces and was designed with sophisticated triple-slotted flaps that minimize landing speeds and allow the 747 to use standard-length runways.Sutter 2006, pp. 121–122.

For transportation of spare engines, the 747 can accommodate a non-functioning fifth-pod engine under the aircraft's port wing between the inner functioning engine and the fuselage.{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Special Report: Air India Flight 182 |url=http://www.airdisaster.com/special/special-ai182.shtml |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007035356/http://www.airdisaster.com/special/special-ai182.shtml |archive-date=October 7, 2009 |access-date=December 13, 2007 |website=airdisaster.com}}[http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/Jdb-txt/SC/05/03/2005BCSC0350.htm "Her Majesty the Queen Against Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri"]. Supreme Court of British Columbia. Retrieved: December 13, 2007. The fifth engine mount point was also used by Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne program to carry an orbital-class rocket to cruise altitude where it was deployed.{{Cite news |date=August 28, 2018 |title=Virgin Orbit performs LauncherOne aircraft flight tests |work=SpaceNews.com |url=https://spacenews.com/virgin-orbit-performs-launcherone-aircraft-flight-tests/ |access-date=November 22, 2018}}{{Cite news |last=Bergin |first=Chris |title=Cosmic Girl takes LauncherOne on its first captive carry flight test – NASASpaceFlight.com |work=NASASpaceflight.com |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/11/cosmic-girl-launcherone-first-captive-carry-test/ |access-date=November 22, 2018}}

After the aircraft's introduction with Pan Am in 1970, other airlines that had bought the 747 to stay competitive began to put their own 747s into service.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080127015922/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878679-1,00.html "Ready or Not, Here Comes Jumbo"]. Time, January 19, 1970. Retrieved: December 19, 2007. Boeing estimated that half of the early 747 sales were to airlines desiring the aircraft's long range rather than its payload capacity.Smith, Bruce A. "Boeing Shuns Very Large Jets While Aiming for Longer Range." Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 1, 2001, pp. 28–29.[http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/A380Buescher.pdf 747X vs A380 "How to Reduce Congestion"] (PDF). {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216064540/http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/A380Buescher.pdf|date=February 16, 2008}} Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech. Retrieved: December 10, 2007. While the 747 had the lowest potential operating cost per seat, this could only be achieved when the aircraft was fully loaded; costs per seat increased rapidly as occupancy declined. A moderately loaded 747, one with only 70 percent of its seats occupied, used more than 95 percent of the fuel needed by a fully occupied 747.[http://www2.mst.dk/common/Udgivramme/Frame.asp?pg=http://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/Publications/2003/87-7972-489-2/html/kap09_eng.htm "Airline reporting on fuel consumption."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220020946/http://www2.mst.dk/common/Udgivramme/Frame.asp?pg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.mst.dk%2Fudgiv%2FPublications%2F2003%2F87-7972-489-2%2Fhtml%2Fkap09_eng.htm|date=December 20, 2007}} Miljominsteriet (Danish Environmental Protection Agency). Retrieved: December 13, 2007. Nonetheless, many flag-carriers purchased the 747 due to its prestige "even if it made no sense economically" to operate. During the 1970s and 1980s, over 30 regularly scheduled 747s could often be seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport.{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2013 |title=Boeing 747 On Deathwatch: How Boeing's New 777X Will Kill Its Jumbo Jet Predecessor, Once The Queen Of The Skies |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/boeing-747-deathwatch-how-boeings-new-777x-will-kill-its-jumbo-jet-predecessor-once-queen-skies |website=International Business Times}}

The recession of 1969–1970, despite having been characterized as relatively mild, greatly affected Boeing. For the year and a half after September 1970, it only sold two 747s in the world, both to Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus.{{Citation |title=Supplementary Estimates, 1971–72 – Vote 41: Transport and Power |date=November 25, 1971 |url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail1971112500009?opendocument |volume=257 |issue=3 |page=9 |publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas |quote=The company took delivery of two Boeing 747s (Jumbos) in March 1971, and they went into service in April and May. The Aerlínte fleet now consists of 6 Boeing 707-320s and 2 Boeing 747s.}}{{Cite journal |date=March 25, 1971 |title=Aer Lingus On Its Own |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200442.html |journal=Flight International |quote=A SECOND 747 will be delivered to Aer Lingus-Irish within the next two weeks to join the first which arrived in Dublin on March 6.}}

No 747s were sold to any American carrier for almost three years.{{r|heppenheimer1998}} When economic problems in the US and other countries after the 1973 oil crisis led to reduced passenger traffic, several airlines found they did not have enough passengers to fly the 747 economically, and they replaced them with the smaller and recently introduced McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar trijet wide bodies[https://web.archive.org/web/20070202010508/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,876705,00.html "Planes for Rough Weather"]. Time, August 3, 1970. Retrieved: December 20, 2007. (and later the 767 and Airbus A300/A310 twinjets). Having tried replacing coach seats on its 747s with piano bars in an attempt to attract more customers, American Airlines eventually relegated its 747s to cargo service and in 1983 exchanged them with Pan Am for smaller aircraft;[https://archive.today/20120526202629/http://www.aa.com/i18n/amrcorp/corporateInformation/facts/history.jsp "American Airlines History"]. American Airlines. Retrieved: June 3, 2011. Delta Air Lines also removed its 747s from service after several years.Davies 1990, p. 96. Later, Delta acquired 747s again in 2008 as part of its merger with Northwest Airlines, although it retired the Boeing 747-400 fleet in December 2017.{{Cite web |title=Final 747 flight now scheduled for Monday |url=https://news.delta.com/final-747-flight-now-scheduled-monday |access-date=May 10, 2018 |website=Delta News Hub |language=en}}

International flights bypassing traditional hub airports and landing at smaller cities became more common throughout the 1980s, thus eroding the 747's original market.[https://web.archive.org/web/20040211224743/http://www.boeing.com/news/speeches/2003/piasecki_030324.html "Turning Today's Challenges into Opportunities for Tomorrow"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 10, 2007. Many international carriers continued to use the 747 on Pacific routes.{{Cite web |last=Aboulafia |first=Richard |date=March 1, 2004 |title=Commercial Transport Market Still in Rough Shape |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/2004sb05.xml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112160220/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news%2F2004sb05.xml |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |access-date=December 10, 2007 |website=Aviation Week and Space Technology}} In Japan, 747s on domestic routes were configured to carry nearly the maximum passenger capacity.Wallace, James. [http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/A380-buyer-keeps-mum-about-possible-luxuries-1164814.php "A380 buyer keeps mum about possible luxuries aboard cruise ship of the skies"]. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 24, 2005. Retrieved: June 3, 2011.

The 747-100 with a range of 4,620 nautical miles (8,556 km), was the original variant launched in 1966. The 747-200 soon followed, with its launch in 1968 and the shorter 747SP launched in 1973. The 747-300 was launched in 1980 and was followed by the {{not a typo|747-400}} in 1985. Ultimately, the 747-8 was announced in 2005. Several versions of each variant have been produced, and many of the early variants were in production simultaneously. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) classifies variants using a shortened code formed by combining the model number and the variant designator (e.g. "B741" for all -100 models).[http://www.icao.int/publications/DOC8643/Pages/Search.aspx "ICAO Document 8643"]. International Civil Aviation Organization. Retrieved: April 13, 2013.

File:Boeing 747-121, Pan American World Airways - Pan Am AN1915191.jpg introduced it on January 22, 1970]]

The first 747-100s were built with six upper deck windows (three per side) to accommodate upstairs lounge areas. Later, as airlines began to use the upper deck for premium passenger seating instead of lounge space, Boeing offered an upper deck with ten windows on either side as an option. Some early -100s were retrofitted with the new configuration.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071210153158/http://www.aircraftspotting.net/aircraft/boeing_747.html#specs "Boeing 747"]. Aircraft Spotting. Retrieved: December 7, 2007. The -100 was equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT9D-3A engines. No freighter version of this model was developed, but many 747-100s were converted into freighters as 747-100(SF).[http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgEX.nsf/0/a590a0405960013a86256d4400727f45/$FILE/1870D.pdf "FAA Regulatory and Guidance Library (PDF)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110155400/https://www.icao.int/publications/doc8643/pages/search.aspx?url=http%3A%2F%2Frgl.faa.gov%2FRegulatory_and_Guidance_Library%2FrgEX.nsf%2F0%2Fa590a0405960013a86256d4400727f45%2F%24FILE%2F1870D.pdf&type=replay&date=20150302150753 |date=January 10, 2018 }} FAA. Retrieved: December 12, 2007. See reference to Supplementary Type Certificates for freighter conversion. The first 747-100(SF) was delivered to Flying Tiger Line in 1974.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cargoforwarder.eu/2019/02/03/still-in-love-with-a-50-year-old/|title=Still in Love With a 50 Year Old!|date=February 3, 2019|website=CargoForwarder Global|access-date=January 21, 2023|archive-date=January 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121053317/https://www.cargoforwarder.eu/2019/02/03/still-in-love-with-a-50-year-old/|url-status=dead}} A total of 168 747-100s were built; 167 were delivered to customers, while Boeing kept the prototype, City of Everett.[http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/displaystandardreport.cfm?cboCurrentModel=747&optReportType=AllModels&cboAllModel=747&ViewReportF=View+Report "747 Model Orders and Deliveries data."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928195003/http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/displaystandardreport.cfm?cboCurrentModel=747&optReportType=AllModels&cboAllModel=747&ViewReportF=View+Report |date=September 28, 2018}} The Boeing Company, April 2021. Retrieved: October 24, 2020. In 1972, its unit cost was US$24M{{Cite magazine |date=August 10, 1972 |title=Airliner price index |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%202020.html |magazine=Flight International |page=183}} ({{Inflation |US|24|r=1|1972}}M today).

Responding to requests from Japanese airlines for a high-capacity aircraft to serve domestic routes between major cities, Boeing developed the 747SR as a short-range version of the {{not a typo|747-100}} with lower fuel capacity and greater payload capability. With increased economy class seating, up to 498 passengers could be carried in early versions and up to 550 in later models. Intended for shorter routes and thus more turn arounds, the 747SR had an economic design life objective of 52,000 flights during 20 years of operation, compared to 24,600 flights in 20 years for the standard 747.Jenkins 2000, p. 40. The initial 747SR model, the -100SR, had a strengthened body structure and landing gear to accommodate the added stress accumulated from a greater number of takeoffs and landings.Kane [https://books.google.com/books?id=nCFYdB2H05UC&pg=PA534 2004, p. 534.] Extra structural support was built into the wings, fuselage, and the landing gear along with a 20% reduction in fuel capacity.Itabashi et al. 1995, p. 155.

File:JA8170 B747-146SR SUD JAL Japan Airlines HND 23MAY03 (8473400794).jpg]]

The initial order for the -100SR – four aircraft for Japan Air Lines (JAL, later Japan Airlines) – was announced on October 30, 1972; rollout occurred on August 3, 1973, and the first flight took place on August 31, 1973. The type was certified by the FAA on September 26, 1973, with the first delivery on the same day. The -100SR entered service with JAL, the type's sole customer, on October 7, 1973, and typically operated flights within Japan.[http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_milestones.html "747 Milestones."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524131419/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_milestones.html |date=May 24, 2011}} The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. Seven -100SRs were built between 1973 and 1975, each with a {{convert|520000|lb|t|adj=on}} MTOW and Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7A engines derated to {{convert|43000|lbf|kN}} of thrust.Bowers 1989, pp. 516–517.

Following the -100SR, Boeing produced the -100BSR, a 747SR variant with increased takeoff weight capability. Debuting in 1978, the -100BSR also incorporated structural modifications for a high cycle-to-flying hour ratio; a related standard -100B model debuted in 1979. The -100BSR first flew on November 3, 1978, with first delivery to All Nippon Airways (ANA) on December 21, 1978. A total of 20 -100BSRs were produced for ANA and JAL.Airclaims Jet Programs 1995 The -100BSR had a {{Convert|600000|lb|t|abbr=out}} MTOW and was powered by the same JT9D-7A or General Electric CF6-45 engines used on the -100SR. ANA operated this variant on domestic Japanese routes with 455 or 456 seats until retiring its last aircraft in March 2006.[https://web.archive.org/web/20060302033247/http://www.japancorp.net/Article.asp?Art_ID=11620 "ANA to Retire the Boeing 747SR on March 10"] Japan Corporate News Network. Retrieved: December 8, 2015.

In 1986, two -100BSR SUD models, featuring the stretched upper deck (SUD) of the -300, were produced for JAL.[http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0047334&size=L "Boeing 747-146B/SR/SUD aircraft"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215185046/http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0047334&size=L |date=December 15, 2007}}, Airliners.net. The type's maiden flight occurred on February 26, 1986, with FAA certification and first delivery on March 24, 1986.[http://www.jal.co.jp/en/aircraft/jal/detail/747_300srb.html "JAL Aircraft Collection"]. Japan Airlines. Retrieved: December 15, 2007. JAL operated the -100BSR SUD with 563 seats on domestic routes until their retirement in the third quarter of 2006. While only two -100BSR SUDs were produced, in theory, standard -100Bs can be modified to the SUD certification. Overall, 29 Boeing 747SRs were built.[http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/displaystandardreport.cfm?cboCurrentModel=747&optReportType=AllModels&cboAllModel=747&ViewReportF=View+Report "747 Model Orders and Deliveries data."] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928195003/http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/displaystandardreport.cfm?cboCurrentModel=747&optReportType=AllModels&cboAllModel=747&ViewReportF=View+Report |date=September 28, 2018}} The Boeing Company, April 2021. Retrieved: October 24, 2020.

File:Iran Air Boeing 747-100 Lofting-1.jpg {{not a typo|747-100B}}, the last {{not a typo|747-100}} in passenger service|alt=Top view of quadjet on apron]]

The 747-100B model was developed from the -100SR, using its stronger airframe and landing gear design. The type had an increased fuel capacity of {{convert|48070|USgal|L|abbr=on}}, allowing for a {{convert|5000|nmi|adj=on}} range with a typical 452-passenger payload, and an increased MTOW of {{convert|750000|lb|t|abbr=on}} was offered. The first -100B order, one aircraft for Iran Air, was announced on June 1, 1978. This version first flew on June 20, 1979, received FAA certification on August 1, 1979, and was delivered the next day.Airclaims Jet program 1995 Nine -100Bs were built, one for Iran Air and eight for Saudi Arabian Airlines.[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/31/business/saudia-orders-4-boeing-747-s.html "Saudia Orders 4 Boeing 747's"]. The New York Times. Retrieved: December 12, 2007.Norris and Wagner 1997, pp. 52–53. Unlike the original -100, the -100B was offered with Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7A, CF6-50, or Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines. However, only RB211-524 (Saudia) and JT9D-7A (Iran Air) engines were ordered.Airclaims Jet Programs 1995, p. 111. The last 747-100B, EP-IAM was retired by Iran Air in 2014, the last commercial operator of the 747-100 and -100B.{{Cite web |date=January 22, 2014 |title=The world's last 747-100 makes final flight with Iran Air |url=http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/the-world-s-last-747-100-makes-final-flight-with-iran-air.html |access-date=March 12, 2015 |website=Arabian Aerospace}}

{{Main|Boeing 747SP}}

File:Air Namibia Boeing 747SP ZS-SPC FRA 1999-7-17.png

The development of the 747SP stemmed from a joint request between Pan American World Airways and Iran Air, who were looking for a high-capacity airliner with enough range to cover Pan Am's New York–Middle Eastern routes and Iran Air's planned Tehran–New York route. The Tehran–New York route, when launched, was the longest non-stop commercial flight in the world. The 747SP is {{convert|48|ft|4|in}} shorter than the {{not a typo|747-100}}. Fuselage sections were eliminated fore and aft of the wing, and the center section of the fuselage was redesigned to fit mating fuselage sections. The SP's flaps used a simplified single-slotted configuration.Norris and Wagner 1997, p. 71.[http://www.747sp.com/story-b747sp/ "The Story of the B747SP"]. 747sp.com. Retrieved: December 15, 2007. The 747SP, compared to earlier variants, had a tapering of the aft upper fuselage into the empennage, a double-hinged rudder, and longer vertical and horizontal stabilizers.Kane 2003, p. 546. Power was provided by Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7(A/F/J/FW) or Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines.[https://web.archive.org/web/20141024144002/http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/airports/747.page "747 Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 15, 2007.

The 747SP was granted a type certificate on February 4, 1976, and entered service with launch customers Pan Am and Iran Air that same year. The aircraft was chosen by airlines wishing to serve major airports with short runways.[http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/media-releases/mar-2002/2645/global/en "Red, White And Q Farewell For Qantas Aircraft"]. Qantas, March 4, 2002. Retrieved: June 4, 2008. A total of 45 747SPs were built, with the 44th 747SP delivered on August 30, 1982. In 1987, Boeing re-opened the 747SP production line after five years to build one last 747SP for an order by the United Arab Emirates government. In addition to airline use, one 747SP was modified for the NASA/German Aerospace Center SOFIA experiment.[http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Sofia/aircraft/sofia_ac.htm "The SOFIA Boeing 747SP."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113003337/http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Sofia/aircraft/sofia_ac.htm |date=November 13, 2006}} NASA SOFIA Science Center. Retrieved: December 31, 2009. Iran Air, the last civil operator of the type, retired its final 747-SP (EP-IAC) in June 2016.[http://samchui.com/2015/10/13/iran15/ Iran Aviation Tour October 2015], October 13, 2015[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFwcFfZsZ9K/ The last B747-SP is going to retire on 15 June], retrieved May 29, 2016

File:Boeing 747-237B, Air-India AN0422476.jpg Boeing 747-200B with ten windows in 2003. Most 747-200s had ten windows per side on the upper deck]]

While the 747-100 powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D-3A engines offered enough payload and range for medium-haul operations, it was marginal for long-haul route sectors. The demand for longer range aircraft with increased payload quickly led to the improved -200, which featured more powerful engines, increased MTOW, and greater range than the -100. A few early -200s retained the three-window configuration of the -100 on the upper deck, but most were built with a ten-window configuration on each side.[http://www.plexoft.com/SBF/aviation/spot747.html "747 windows"]. Plexoft. Retrieved: December 15, 2007. The 747-200 was produced in passenger (-200B), freighter (-200F), convertible (-200C), and combi (-200M) versions.Norris and Wagner 1997, pp. 60–61.

The 747-200B was the basic passenger version, with increased fuel capacity and more powerful engines; it entered service in February 1971. In its first three years of production, the -200 was equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7 engines (initially the only engine available). Range with a full passenger load started at over {{convert|5000|nmi|abbr=on}} and increased to {{convert|6000|nmi|abbr=on}} with later engines. Most -200Bs had an internally stretched upper deck, allowing for up to 16 passenger seats.Jenkins 2000, p. 43. The freighter model, the 747-200F, had a hinged nose cargo door and could be fitted with an optional side cargo door, and had a capacity of 105 tons (95.3 tonnes) and an MTOW of up to {{Convert|833000|lb|t|abbr=out}}. It entered service in 1972 with Lufthansa.[http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/background.html "Boeing 747 – About the 747 Family."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615032630/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/background.html |date=June 15, 2006}} The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 6, 2007. The convertible version, the 747-200C, could be converted between a passenger and a freighter or used in mixed configurations, and featured removable seats and a nose cargo door. The -200C could also be outfitted with an optional side cargo door on the main deck.[http://www.civilaviation.eu/Boeing/747-200.htm "Boeing 747-200."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026233832/http://civilaviation.eu/Boeing/747-200.htm |date=October 26, 2016}} CivilAviation.eu. Retrieved: December 15, 2007.

The combi aircraft model, the 747-200M (originally designated 747-200BC), could carry freight in the rear section of the main deck via a side cargo door. A removable partition on the main deck separated the cargo area at the rear from the passengers at the front. The -200M could carry up to 238 passengers in a three-class configuration with cargo carried on the main deck. The model was also known as the 747-200 Combi. As on the -100, a stretched upper deck (SUD) modification was later offered. A total of ten 747-200s operated by KLM were converted. Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) also had two aircraft converted.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}

After launching the -200 with Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7 engines, on August 1, 1972, Boeing announced that it had reached an agreement with General Electric to certify the 747 with CF6-50 series engines to increase the aircraft's market potential. Rolls-Royce followed 747 engine production with a launch order from British Airways for four aircraft. The option of RB211-524B engines was announced on June 17, 1975. The -200 was the first 747 to provide a choice of powerplant from the three major engine manufacturers.Jenkins 2000, pp. 46, 50–53.

In 1976, its unit cost was US$39M ({{Inflation|US|39|r=1|1976}}M today).

A total of 393 of the 747-200 versions had been built when production ended in 1991.[http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/background.html "747 background."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615032630/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/background.html |date=June 15, 2006}} The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 13, 2007. Of these, 225 were -200B, 73 were -200F, 13 were -200C, 78 were -200M, and 4 were military.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071210173616/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_classics.html "747 Classics Technical Specifications"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 6, 2007. Iran Air retired the last passenger {{not a typo|747-200}} in May 2016, 36 years after it was delivered.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/46137-iran-air-retires-last-remaining-pax-b747-200|title=Iran Air retires last remaining pax B747-200|website=ch-aviation}} {{as of|2019|July|}}, five 747-200s remain in service as freighters.Thisdell and Seymour Flight International July 30 – August 5, 2019, p. 39.

File:Swissair Boeing 747-357 HB-IGF "Zürich" (27487433646).jpg took the first delivery on March 23, 1983.]]

The 747-300 features a {{convert|23|ft|4|in|m|sigfig=3|adj=mid|-longer}} upper deck than the -200. The stretched upper deck (SUD) has two emergency exit doors and is the most visible difference between the -300 and previous models.[http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=99 "Boeing 747-300."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811062901/http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=99 |date=August 11, 2004}} airliners.net. After being made standard on the 747-300, the SUD was offered as a retrofit, and as an option to earlier variants still in-production. An example for a retrofit were two UTA -200 Combis being converted in 1986, and an example for the option were two brand-new JAL -100 aircraft (designated -100BSR SUD), the first of which was delivered on March 24, 1986.{{Cite book |last=Bowman, Martin W. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/42912717 |title=Boeing 747 |date=2000 |publisher=Crowood |isbn=1-86126-242-6 |location=Marlborough |oclc=42912717}}{{Rp|68, 92}}

The 747-300 introduced a new straight stairway to the upper deck, instead of a spiral staircase on earlier variants, which creates room above and below for more seats. Minor aerodynamic changes allowed the -300's cruise speed to reach Mach 0.85 compared with Mach 0.84 on the -200 and -100 models, while retaining the same takeoff weight. The -300 could be equipped with the same Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce powerplants as on the -200, as well as updated General Electric CF6-80C2B1 engines.

Swissair placed the first order for the {{not a typo|747-300}} on June 11, 1980.{{Cite web |title=Seven Series |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/sevenseries/747.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328074016/http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/sevenseries/747.html |archive-date=March 28, 2010 |access-date=December 15, 2007 |publisher=The Boeing Company}} The variant revived the 747-300 designation, which had been previously used on a design study that did not reach production. The 747-300 first flew on October 5, 1982, and the type's first delivery went to Swissair on March 23, 1983. In 1982, its unit cost was US$83M ({{Inflation |US|83|r=1|1982}}M today). Besides the passenger model, two other versions (-300M, -300SR) were produced. The 747-300M features cargo capacity on the rear portion of the main deck, similar to the -200M, but with the stretched upper deck it can carry more passengers.Jenkins 2000, p. 97. The 747-300SR, a short range, high-capacity domestic model, was produced for Japanese markets with a maximum seating for 584.[http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/commercial/airports/acaps/747_123sp.pdf "Boeing 747-100/-200/-300/-SP airport report."] (pdf) The Boeing Company, May 2011. Retrieved: September 1, 2014. No production freighter version of the 747-300 was built, but Boeing began modifications of used passenger -300 models into freighters in 2000.{{Cite web |title=Boeing Delivers First 747-300 Special Freighter To Atlas Air |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/photorelease/photo_release_001017b.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001027192806/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/photorelease/photo_release_001017b.html |archive-date=October 27, 2000 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |publisher=The Boeing Company}}

A total of 81 {{not a typo|747-300}} series aircraft were delivered, 56 for passenger use, 21 -300M and 4 -300SR versions.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071210173616/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_classics.html "Technical Specifications – 747 Classics"], The Boeing Company. Retrieved: July 11, 2008 In 1985, just two years after the -300 entered service, the type was superseded by the announcement of the more advanced 747-400.Lawrence and Thornton 2005 The last 747-300 was delivered in September 1990 to Sabena.{{Cite web |title=Seven series |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/sevenseries/747.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328074016/http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/sevenseries/747.html |archive-date=March 28, 2010 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |publisher=The Boeing Company}} While some -300 customers continued operating the type, several large carriers replaced their 747-300s with 747-400s. Air France, Air India, Japan Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, and Qantas were some of the last major carriers to operate the {{not a typo|747-300}}. On December 29, 2008, Qantas flew its last scheduled 747-300 service, operating from Melbourne to Los Angeles via Auckland.[http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/qantass-final-boeing-747300-heads-for-graveyard-20090120-7lfi.html "Qantas's final Boeing 747-300 heads for graveyard."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907034434/http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/qantass-final-boeing-747300-heads-for-graveyard-20090120-7lfi.html |date=September 7, 2017}} The Age. Retrieved: January 21, 2009. In July 2015, Pakistan International Airlines retired their final 747-300 after 30 years of service.{{Cite web |last=Drum |first=Bruce |date=June 29, 2015 |title=PIA to retire its last Boeing 747 "within a month" |url=https://worldairlinenews.com/2015/06/29/pia-to-retire-its-last-boeing-747-within-a-month/ |access-date=July 17, 2016 |website=World Airline News |archive-date=August 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821211448/https://worldairlinenews.com/2015/06/29/pia-to-retire-its-last-boeing-747-within-a-month/ |url-status=dead }} Mahan Air was the last passenger operator of the Boeing 747-300. In 2022, their last 747-300M was leased by Emtrasur Cargo. The 747-300M was later seized by the US Department of Justice in 2024.{{cite news |last=Arshad |first=Minnah |date=12 February 2024 |title=U.S. seizes Boeing 747 cargo plane that Iranian airline sold to Venezuelan company |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/02/12/seize-boeing-747-cargo-aircraft-iranian-airline/72578543007/ |work=USA Today |location= |publisher= |access-date=13 April 2025}} As of 2024, TransAVIAExport, a Belarusian cargo airline operates one Boeing 747-300F.{{cn|date=April 2024}} As of 2024, a former Saudia 747-300 is used for VVIP transport, operated by the Saudi Arabian Government.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

{{Main|Boeing 747-400}}

File:The Boeing 747 (3441131089).jpgs, entered service in February 1989 with Northwest Airlines]]

The 747-400 is an improved model with increased range. It has wingtip extensions of {{convert|6|ft|m|abbr=on}} and winglets of {{convert|6|ft|m|abbr=on}}, which improve the type's fuel efficiency by four percent compared to previous 747 versions.[http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11839&page=33 "Assessment of Wingtip Modifications to Increase the Fuel Efficiency of Air Force Aircraft"]. National Academies Press, 2007, p. 33. The 747-400 introduced a new glass cockpit designed for a flight crew of two instead of three, with a reduction in the number of dials, gauges and knobs from 971 to 365 through the use of electronics. The type also features tail fuel tanks, revised engines, and a new interior. The longer range has been used by some airlines to bypass traditional fuel stops, such as Anchorage.[http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/200702/000639.html "JAL 2007"]. Japan Airlines. Retrieved: December 14, 2007. A 747-400 loaded with {{convert|126000|lb|kg}} of fuel flying {{convert|3500|mi|nmi km}} consumes an average of {{convert|5|USgal/mi|L/km}}.{{Cite web |last=Bland |first=Alastair |title=How Bad Is Air Travel for the Environment? |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-bad-is-air-travel-for-the-environment-51166834/ |access-date=September 29, 2020 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2012 |title=Boeing: Commercial Airplanes – 747 Fun Facts |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_facts.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912091144/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_facts.html |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |access-date=September 29, 2020}} Powerplants include the Pratt & Whitney PW4062, General Electric CF6-80C2, and Rolls-Royce RB211-524.[http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/specs.html "747 specifications"], The Boeing Company. Retrieved December 16, 2007. As a result of the Boeing 767 development overlapping with the 747-400's development, both aircraft can use the same three powerplants and are even interchangeable between the two aircraft models.{{Cite web |title=RB211-524 Interchangeability |url=http://www.haesl.com/eng/engine_rb211-524.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314174403/http://www.haesl.com/eng/engine_rb211-524.asp |archive-date=March 14, 2018 |access-date=August 27, 2018 |website=Hong Kong Aero Engine Services Limited}}

The {{nowrap|-400}} was offered in passenger (-400), freighter (-400F), combi (-400M), domestic (-400D), extended range passenger (-400ER), and extended range freighter (-400ERF) versions. Passenger versions retain the same upper deck as the {{nowrap|-300}}, while the freighter version does not have an extended upper deck.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071219214312/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_400f_back.html "Boeing 747-400 Freighter Family"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. The 747-400D was designed for short-range operations with maximum seating for 624. So winglets were not included though they can be retrofitted.[http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/commercial/airports/acaps/747_4.pdf "Boeing 747-400/-400ER airport report."] (pdf) The Boeing Company, May 2011. Retrieved: September 1, 2014.[http://www.jal.com/en/press/1998/111901/111901.html "Japan Airlines To Receive 100th Boeing 747 Aircraft"]. Japan Airlines, November 19, 1998. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. Cruising speed is up to Mach 0.855 on different versions of the {{not a typo|747-400}}.

The passenger version first entered service in February 1989 with launch customer Northwest Airlines on the Minneapolis to Phoenix route.{{Cite news |date=August 20, 2009 |title=Queen of its time |work=Airliner World |url=http://www.airlinerworld.com/2009/08/queen-of-its-time/ |access-date=August 6, 2016 |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822233913/http://www.airlinerworld.com/2009/08/queen-of-its-time/ |url-status=dead}} The combi version entered service in September 1989 with KLM, while the freighter version entered service in November 1993 with Cargolux. The 747-400ERF entered service with Air France in October 2002, while the 747-400ER entered service with Qantas,[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012042115/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/lr_back/index.html "Boeing 747-400ER Family"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: October 16, 2007. its sole customer, in November 2002. In January 2004, Boeing and Cathay Pacific launched the Boeing 747-400 Special Freighter program,[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2004-01-07-Boeing-and-Cathay-Pacific-Airways-Launch-747-400-Special-Freighter "Boeing and Cathay Pacific Airways Launch 747-400 Special Freighter"]. The Boeing Company, January 7, 2004. Retrieved: July 18, 2015. later referred to as the Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), to modify passenger 747-400s for cargo use. The first 747-400BCF was redelivered in December 2005.[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2005-12-19-First-747-400-Boeing-Converted-Freighter-Redelivered-to-Cathay-Pacific "First 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighter Redelivered to Cathay Pacific"]. The Boeing Company, December 19, 2005. Retrieved: July 18, 2015.

In March 2007, Boeing announced that it had no plans to produce further passenger versions of the -400.Wallace, James. [http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/747-400-passenger-jet-is-no-more-1231302.php "747-400 passenger is no more"]. Seattlepi.com, March 17, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2011. However, orders for 36 -400F and -400ERF freighters were already in place at the time of the announcement. The last passenger version of the 747-400 was delivered in April 2005 to China Airlines. Some of the last built 747-400s were delivered with Dreamliner livery along with the modern Signature interior from the Boeing 777. A total of 694 of the {{not a typo|747-400}} series aircraft were delivered. At various times, the largest 747-400 operator has included Singapore Airlines,[https://web.archive.org/web/19990209120436/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1995/news.release.951013-a.html "Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 Fleet World's Largest"]. The Boeing Company, October 13, 1994. Retrieved: December 14, 2007. Japan Airlines, and British Airways.[http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/archive/2005/august/i_iw2.html "British Airways set for fleet revamp"]. The Boeing Company, August 2005. Retrieved: December 14, 2007.{{Cite web |title=British Airways Boeing 747-400 |url=http://www.britishairways.com/travel/boeing-747-400/public/en_gb |access-date=January 21, 2017 |website=BritishAirways.com}} {{as of|2019|July}}, 331 Boeing 747-400s were in service; there were only 10 Boeing 747-400s in passenger service as of September 2021.

{{Main|Boeing Dreamlifter}}

File:N718BA Boeing 747-4H6(LCF) Dreamlifter (49856836836) (cropped).jpg, a modified {{not a typo|747-400}}, first flew on September 9, 2006]]

The 747-400 Dreamlifter[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1080 "Final Boeing 747 Dreamlifter Enters Service"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: July 15, 2011. (originally called the 747 Large Cargo Freighter or LCF[https://web.archive.org/web/20071107065816/http://www.evergreenaviation.com/p_releases/072007.html "Evergreen Aviation press releases"]. Evergreen Aviation, July 20, 2007. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.) is a Boeing-designed modification of existing 747-400s into a larger outsize cargo freighter configuration to ferry 787 Dreamliner sub-assemblies. Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation of Taiwan was contracted to complete modifications of 747-400s into Dreamlifters in Taoyuan. The aircraft flew for the first time on September 9, 2006, in a test flight.[https://web.archive.org/web/20061002173539/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2006/q3/060909a_nr.html "Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Completes First Flight"]. The Boeing Company, September 9, 2006. Modification of four aircraft was completed by February 2010.Mecham, Michael. [http://aviationweek.com/awin/boeing-puts-last-dreamlifter-service "Boeing Puts Last Dreamlifter In Service"]. Aviation Week, February 16, 2010. The Dreamlifters have been placed into service transporting sub-assemblies for the 787 program to the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, for final assembly. The aircraft is certified to carry only essential crew with no passengers.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070606173639/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q2/070604a_pr.html "Boeing 747 Dreamlifter Achieves FAA Certification"]. The Boeing Company, June 4, 2007. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.

{{Main|Boeing 747-8}}

File:Boeing 747-8 first flight Everett, WA.jpg made its maiden flight on February 8, 2010, as a freighter|alt=Side view of quadjet over clouds]]

Boeing announced a new 747 variant, the {{not a typo|747-8}}, on November 14, 2005. Referred to as the 747 Advanced prior to its launch, Boeing selected the designation 747-8 to show the connection with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as the aircraft would use technology and the General Electric GEnx engines from the 787 to modernize the design and its systems.{{Cite web |last=Kingsley-Jones |first=Max |date=13 November 2012 |title=IN FOCUS: Boeing 747-8 technical description & cutaway |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/in-focus-boeing-747-8-technical-description-and-cutaway/107801.article |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Flight Global |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=747-8 Over Mt. Rainier |url=https://secure.boeingimages.com/archive/747-8-Over-Mt--Rainier-2F3XC5KLE2I.html |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=Boeing |quote=By working together with customers and applying the innovative new technologies of the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing was able to create the 747-8 family. In fact, the designation 747-8 was chosen to show the technology connection between the 787 and the new 747.}}[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2004-02-09-Boeing-747-the-Queen-of-the-Skies-Celebrates-35th-Anniversary "Boeing 747, the 'Queen of the Skies,' Celebrates 35th Anniversary"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009034309/http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2004-02-09-Boeing-747-the-Queen-of-the-Skies-Celebrates-35th-Anniversary|date=October 9, 2017}}. Boeing, February 9, 2004. The variant is designed to be quieter, more economical, and more environmentally friendly. The 747-8's fuselage is lengthened from {{Convert|232|ft|m|abbr=out}} to {{Convert|251|ft|m|abbr=out}},Steinke, Sebastian. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090410042129/http://flug-revue.rotor.com/FRheft/FRHeft06/FRH0601/FR0601f.htm "Boeing launches 747-8"]. Flug Revue, January 2006. Retrieved: July 15, 2011. marking the first stretch variant of the aircraft.

The 747-8 Freighter, or 747-8F, has 16% more payload capacity than its predecessor, allowing it to carry seven more standard air cargo containers, with a maximum payload capacity of {{cvt|154|ST|t|0|lk=on}} of cargo.[http://www.deagel.com/Freighters/Boeing-747-8F_a000202006.aspx "Boeing 747-8 Freighter"]. Deagel. Retrieved: December 8, 2007. As on previous 747 freighters, the 747-8F features a flip up nose-door, a side-door on the main deck, and a side-door on the lower deck ("belly") to aid loading and unloading. The 747-8F made its maiden flight on February 8, 2010.[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1068 "Boeing 747-8 Freighter Successfully Completes First Flight"]. The Boeing Company. Retrieved: July 15, 2011[https://web.archive.org/web/20100212112245/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/08/338138/pictures.html "Pictures & Video: Boeing's 747-8F lifts off on maiden flight"]. Flight International, February 8, 2010. Retrieved: February 9, 2010. The variant received its amended type certificate jointly from the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on August 19, 2011.Ostrower, Jon. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105192227/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/747-8f-and-787-delivery-dates-come-into-focus-361185/ "747-8F and 787 delivery dates come into focus"]. Air Transport Intelligence news via Flightglobal.com, August 24, 2011. The -8F was first delivered to Cargolux on October 12, 2011.Ostrower, Jon. [http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-boeing-delivers-first-747-8f-363348/ "Boeing delivers first 747-8F"]. Flightglobal.com, October 12, 2011.

The passenger version, named 747-8 Intercontinental or 747-8I, is designed to carry up to 467 passengers in a 3-class configuration and fly more than {{Convert|8000|nmi|abbr=out}} at Mach 0.855. As a derivative of the already common {{not a typo|747-400}}, the 747-8I has the economic benefit of similar training and interchangeable parts.Norris, G. [http://aviationweek.com/awin/boeing-freezes-747-8i-design-rules-out-shorter-stretch "Boeing freezes the 747-8I design"]. Aviation Week, 2007. Retrieved: December 8, 2007. The type's first test flight occurred on March 20, 2011.[http://www.ainonline.com/?q=aviation-news/2011-03-20/first-747-8i-takes-air "First 747-8I Takes to the Air"] AINOnline, March 20, 2011. Retrieved: March 26, 2011. The 747-8 has surpassed the Airbus A340-600 as the world's longest airliner, a record it would hold until the 777X, which first flew in 2020. The first -8I was delivered in May 2012 to Lufthansa.Norris, Guy. [http://aviationweek.com/awin/boeing-747-8i-set-pre-delivery-evaluation-flights-germany-0 "Boeing 747-8I Set For Pre-Delivery Evaluation Flights In Germany"]. Aviation Week, December 6, 2011. Retrieved: March 26, 2011. The 747-8 received 155 total orders, including 106 for the -8F and 47 for the -8I {{as of|2021|June|lc=y}}. The final 747-8F was delivered to Atlas Air on January 31, 2023, marking the end of the production of the Boeing 747 series. The final aircraft was registered as N863GT.{{cite web |url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2023/02/01/boeing-delivers-last-ever-747-to-atlas-air/ |title=Boeing Delivers Last Ever 747 to Atlas Air |first=Fangzhong |last=Guo |work=Airline Geeks |location=US |date=2023-02-01 |access-date=2025-04-06}}

File:Air Force One over Mt. Rushmore.jpg, a Boeing VC-25, over Mount Rushmore]]

File:Boeing 747 AAC cutaway.png

File:Atlantis on Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.jpg carrying a Space Shuttle orbiter]]

• VC-25 – This aircraft is the U.S. Air Force very important person (VIP) version of the 747-200B. The U.S. Air Force operates two of them in VIP configuration as the VC-25A. Tail numbers 28000 and 29000 are popularly known as Air Force One, which is technically the air-traffic call sign for any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the U.S. president.{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2003 |title=Factsheets: VC-25 – Air Force One |url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104588/vc-25-air-force-one/ |access-date=November 30, 2020 |publisher=U.S. Air Force}} Partially completed aircraft from Everett, Washington, were flown to Wichita, Kansas, for final outfitting by Boeing Military Airplane Company.Taylor 1988, pp. 370–371. Two new aircraft, based around the {{not a typo|747-8}}, are being procured which will be designated as VC-25B.{{Cite news |last1=Macias |first1=Amanda |last2=Breuninger |first2=Kevin |date=February 27, 2018 |title=The White House cuts $3.9 billion deal with Boeing for two new Air Force Ones |work=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/27/the-white-house-has-cut-a-deal-with-boeing-for-two-new-air-force-ones-nbc-news.html |access-date=November 30, 2020}}
• E-4B – This is an airborne command post designed for use in nuclear war. Three E-4As, based on the 747-200B, with a fourth aircraft, with more powerful engines and upgraded systems delivered in 1979 as an E-4B, with the three E-4As upgraded to this standard.Bowers 1988, pp. 528–529.Donald and Lake 1996, pp. 76–77. Formerly known as the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (referred to colloquially as "Kneecap"), this type is now referred to as the National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC).{{Cite web |last=Terdiman |first=Donald |date=July 23, 2013 |title=Aboard America's Doomsday command and control plane |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/aboard-americas-doomsday-command-and-control-plane/ |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=CNET}}
• Survivable Airborne Operations Center - In April 2024, Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded a contract to develop and build the Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft to replace the Boeing E-4 NAOC. Five 747-8Is were purchased from Korean Air for conversion, with the contract calling for nine in total.{{cite web | url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/korean-air-sells-five-jets-us-aerospace-firm-sierra-nevada-4321311 | title=Korean Air sells five jets to US aerospace firm Sierra Nevada|date=May 2024|website=CNA|publisher=Mediacorp}}{{cite web | url=https://theaviationist.com/2024/04/27/sierra-nevada-saoc-announcement/ | title=Sierra Nevada Corporation Will Build E-4B 'Doomsday' Plane Replacement | date=April 27, 2024 }}
• YAL-1 – This was the experimental Airborne Laser, a planned component of the U.S. National Missile Defense.{{Cite web |title=Airborne Laser returns for more testing |url=https://www.afmc.af.mil/news/story?id=123038913 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308070103/http://www.afmc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123038913 |archive-date=March 8, 2007 |access-date=November 30, 2020 |publisher=Air Force}}
• Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) – Two 747s were modified to carry the Space Shuttle orbiter. The first was a 747-100 (N905NA), and the other was a 747-100SR (N911NA). The first SCA carried the prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Tests in the late 1970s. The two SCA later carried all five operational Space Shuttle orbiters.{{Cite web |date=August 7, 2017 |editor-last=Gibbs |editor-first=Yvonne |title=NASA Armstrong Fact Sheet: Shuttle Carrier Aircraft |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html |access-date=November 30, 2020 |publisher=NASA}}
• C-33 – This aircraft was a proposed U.S. military version of the 747-400F intended to augment the C-17 fleet. The plan was canceled in favor of additional C-17s.{{Cite web |last=Tirpak |first=John A. |date=February 1996 |title=Airlift Moves Up and Out |url=http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/1996/February%201996/0296airlift.aspx |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209065443/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/1996/February%201996/0296airlift.aspx |archive-date=February 9, 2011 |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=Air Force Magazine}}
• KC-25/33 – A proposed 747-200F was also adapted as an aerial refueling tanker and was bid against the DC-10-30 during the 1970s Advanced Cargo Transport Aircraft (ACTA) program that produced the KC-10 Extender. Before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran bought four 747-100 aircraft with air-refueling boom conversions to support its fleet of F-4 Phantoms.Hamilton, S. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080216064539/http://www.leeham.net/filelib/ScottsColumn091107.pdf "Boeing advanced 747 as tanker (PDF)"]. Leeham Company, September 11, 2007. Retrieved: December 17, 2007. There is a report of the Iranians using a 747 Tanker in H-3 airstrike during Iran–Iraq War.{{Cite web |last= |title=H3 airstrike |url=http://memim.com/h3-airstrike.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129042258/http://memim.com/h3-airstrike.html |archive-date=January 29, 2016 |access-date=January 20, 2016 |website=MEMIM Encyclopedia}} It is unknown whether these aircraft remain usable as tankers. Since then there have been proposals to use a 747-400 for that role.[https://web.archive.org/web/20050716004716/http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-2005-02.pdf "KC-33A: Closing the Aerial Refuelling and Strategic Air Mobility Gaps (PDF)"]. Air Power Australia Analysis APA-2005-02, April 16, 2005. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.
• 747F Airlifter – Proposed US military transport version of the 747-200F intended as an alternative to further purchases of the C-5 Galaxy. This 747 would have had a special nose jack to lower the sill height for the nose door. System tested in 1980 on a Flying Tiger Line 747-200F.AFMD-82-123 Improper Lobbying Activities by the Department of Defense on the Proposed Procurement of the C-5B Aircraft https://www.gao.gov/assets/210/205747.pdf
• 747 CMCA – This "Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft" variant was considered by the U.S. Air Force during the development of the B-1 Lancer strategic bomber. It would have been equipped with 50 to 100 AGM-86 ALCM cruise missiles on rotary launchers. This plan was abandoned in favor of more conventional strategic bombers.Jenkins, Dennis R. B-1 Lancer, The Most Complicated Warplane Ever Developed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999. {{ISBN|0-07-134694-5}}.
• MC-747 – Two separate studies from the 1970s and 2005, the first by Boeing and the second by ATK and BAE Systems, to horizontally store up to four Peacekeeper ICBMs or seven Minutemen above bomb bay-like doors in the first study,{{cite web | title=Boeing 747 Nuke Launcher – Found And Explained | website=Found And Explained – Aviation Stories, Facts and Animations! | date=May 13, 2021 | url=https://foundandexplained.com/2021/05/13/boeing-747-nuke-launcher/ | access-date=May 18, 2024}}{{cite web | title=MC-747 – Aerospace Projects Review Blog | website=aerospaceprojectsreview.com | date=September 11, 2013 | url=https://www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/?p=1316 | access-date=May 18, 2024}} and to vertically store twelve Minutemen or 32 JDAM-equipped conventional missiles for launch from in situ tubes in the second.{{cite web | last=Mizokami | first=Kyle | title=That Time a Defense Contractor Wanted to Put ICBMs on 747s | website=Popular Mechanics | date=August 4, 2016 | url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a22197/icbms-on-747s-plan/ | access-date=May 18, 2024}}{{cite web | title=Flying Boomers – The Unwanted Blog | website=up-ship.com | date=August 19, 2011 | url=https://up-ship.com/blog/?p=11404 | access-date=May 18, 2024}}
• 747 AAC – A Boeing study under contract from the USAF for an "airborne aircraft carrier" for up to 10 Boeing Model 985-121 "microfighters" with the ability to launch, retrieve, re-arm, and refuel. Boeing believed that the scheme would be able to deliver a flexible and fast carrier platform with global reach, particularly where other bases were not available. Modified versions of the 747-200 and Lockheed C-5A were considered as the base aircraft. The concept, which included a complementary 747 AWACS version with two reconnaissance "microfighters", was considered technically feasible in 1973.{{Cite web |date=September 1973 |title=Investigation of a Micro-Fighter / Airborne Aircraft Carrier Concept |url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/529372.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113142104/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/529372.pdf |archive-date=November 13, 2014 |access-date=November 21, 2015 |publisher=Defense Technical Information Center}}
• Evergreen 747 Supertanker – A Boeing 747-200 modified as an aerial application platform for fire fighting using {{convert|20000|USgal|L}} of firefighting chemicals.[http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgstc.nsf/0/3daa36596e85e7a58625721f00596da7/$FILE/ST01912LA.pdf "Supplementary Type Certificate ST01912LA Installation and removal of internal tanks, associated systems and support structure for the aerial dispersant of liquids"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822231113/http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgstc.nsf/0/3daa36596e85e7a58625721f00596da7/$FILE/ST01912LA.pdf |date=August 22, 2011 }}. US Federal Aviation Administration, October 27, 2006.
• Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) – A former Pan Am Boeing 747SP modified to carry a large infrared-sensitive telescope, in a joint venture of NASA and DLR. High altitudes are needed for infrared astronomy, to rise above infrared-absorbing water vapor in the atmosphere.{{Cite web |date=2010 |title=Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 308911 SOFIA Quick Facts |url=http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/380911main_SOFIA_QuickFacts.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028055114/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/380911main_SOFIA_QuickFacts.pdf |archive-date=October 28, 2009 |access-date=December 2, 2010 |website=nasa.gov |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |page=1}}{{Cite web |title=Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) |url=http://astro.uchicago.edu/research/stratospheric-observatory-for-infrared-astronomy.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610114345/http://astro.uchicago.edu/research/stratospheric-observatory-for-infrared-astronomy.shtml |archive-date=June 10, 2010 |access-date=December 2, 2020 |website=The University of Chicago: Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics}}
• A number of other governments also use the 747 as a VIP transport, including Bahrain, Brunei, India, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Several Boeing 747-8s have been ordered by Boeing Business Jet for conversion to VIP transports for several unidentified customers.[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003290459_webbdigboeing05.html "Boeing nets 57 new orders, including big VIP planes."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204023618/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2003290459_webbdigboeing05.html |date=February 4, 2016}} Seattle Times. Retrieved: December 14, 2007.

Boeing studied a number of 747 variants that did not advance beyond the concept stage.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Boeing studied the development of a shorter 747 with three engines, to compete with the smaller Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and McDonnell Douglas DC-10. The center engine would have been fitted in the tail with an S-duct intake similar to the L-1011's. Overall, the 747 trijet would have had more payload, range, and passenger capacity than either of the two other aircraft. However, engineering studies showed that a major redesign of the 747 wing would be necessary. Maintaining the same 747 handling characteristics would be important to minimize pilot retraining. Boeing decided instead to pursue a shortened four-engine 747, resulting in the 747SP.Jenkins 2000, pp. 69–71.

In January 1986, Boeing outlined preliminary studies to build a larger, ultra-long haul version named the {{not a typo|747-500}}, which would enter service in the mid- to late-1990s. The aircraft derivative would use engines evolved from unducted fan (UDF) (propfan) technology by General Electric, but the engines would have shrouds, sport a bypass ratio of 15–20, and have a propfan diameter of {{Convert|10–12|ft|abbr=out}}.{{Cite news |date=January 15, 1986 |title=Boeing plans propfan engines for bigger jumbos in 1990s |page=1 |work=Financial Times |issue=29829 |location=Singapore |format=PDF |url=https://archive.org/stream/FinancialTimes1986UKEnglish/Jan%2015%201986%2C%20Financial%20Times%2C%20%2329829%2C%20UK%20%28en%29#page/n0 |given=Chris |surname=Sherwell}} The aircraft would be stretched (including the upper deck section) to a capacity of 500 seats, have a new wing to reduce drag, cruise at a faster speed to reduce flight times, and have a range of at least {{convert|10000|mi|nmi km|abbr=on|disp=out}}, which would allow airlines to fly nonstop between London, UK and Sydney, Australia.{{Cite news |date=January 20, 1986 |title=Fly London to Sydney...non-stop |page=5 |work=Financial Times |issue=29833 |department=Technology |format=PDF |url=https://archive.org/stream/FinancialTimes1986UKEnglish/Jan%2020%201986,%20Financial%20Times,%20%2329833,%20UK%20(en)#page/n4 |given=Michael |surname=Donne}}

Boeing announced the 747 ASB (Advanced Short Body) in 1986 as a response to the Airbus A340 and the McDonnell Douglas MD-11. This aircraft design would have combined the advanced technology used on the 747-400 with the foreshortened 747SP fuselage. The aircraft was to carry 295 passengers over a range of {{Convert|8000|nmi|abbr=on}}.{{Cite news |date=June 7, 1986 |title=Boeing offers 747ASB |work=Flight International |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1986/1986%20-%201260.PDF |url-status=live |access-date=October 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1986/1986%20-%201260.PDF |archive-date=October 9, 2022}} However, airlines were not interested in the project and it was canceled later that year.

File:Boeing 747-500X and 747-600X comparison line drawing.jpg illustration|alt=Aircraft comparison diagram.]]

Boeing announced the 747-500X and -600X at the 1996 Farnborough Airshow. The proposed models would have combined the 747's fuselage with a new wing spanning {{Convert|251|ft|m|abbr=out}} derived from the 777. Other changes included adding more powerful engines and increasing the number of tires from two to four on the nose landing gear and from 16 to 20 on the main landing gear.Patterson, James W. [http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar97-26.pdf "Impact of New Large Aircraft on Airport Design (PDF)"]. Federal Aviation Administration, March 1998. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.

The 747-500X concept featured a fuselage length increased by {{Convert|18|ft|m|abbr=out}} to {{Convert|250|ft|m|abbr=out}}, and the aircraft was to carry 462 passengers over a range up to {{Convert|8700|nmi|abbr=out}}, with a gross weight of over 1.0 Mlb (450 tonnes). The 747-600X concept featured a greater stretch to {{Convert|279|ft|m|abbr=out}} with seating for 548 passengers, a range of up to {{Convert|7700|nmi|abbr=on}}, and a gross weight of 1.2 Mlb (540 tonnes). A third study concept, the 747-700X, would have combined the wing of the 747-600X with a widened fuselage, allowing it to carry 650 passengers over the same range as a {{not a typo|747-400}}. The cost of the changes from previous 747 models, in particular the new wing for the 747-500X and -600X, was estimated to be more than US$5 billion. Boeing was not able to attract enough interest to launch the aircraft.

As Airbus progressed with its A3XX study, Boeing offered a 747 derivative as an alternative in 2000; a more modest proposal than the previous -500X and -600X with the 747's overall wing design and a new segment at the root, increasing the span to {{convert|229|ft|m|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}.{{cite press release |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606052449/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_000121a.html |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_000121a.html |title=Boeing 747 Celebrates 30 Years in Service |work=The Boeing Company |date=September 2, 1996 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |archive-date=June 6, 2013 |url-status=dead}} Power would have been supplied by either the Engine Alliance GP7172 or the Rolls-Royce Trent 600, which were also proposed for the 767-400ERX.{{cite press release |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812162427/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_000913a.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_000913a.html |title=Boeing Commits To Produce New Longer-Range 767-400ER |work=The Boeing Company |date=September 13, 2000 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |url-status=dead}} A new flight deck based on the 777's would be used. The 747X aircraft was to carry 430 passengers over ranges of up to {{Convert|8700|nmi|abbr=on}}. The 747X Stretch would be extended to {{convert|263|ft|m|sigfig=3|abbr=on}} long, allowing it to carry 500 passengers over ranges of up to {{Convert|7800|nmi|abbr=on}}. Both would feature an interior based on the 777.{{cite press release |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011162115/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_000629b.html |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_000629b.html |title=Customer Symposium Highlights Future Boeing 747 Models |work=The Boeing Company |date=June 29, 2000 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |archive-date=October 11, 2012 |url-status=dead}} Freighter versions of the 747X and 747X Stretch were also studied.{{cite web |last=Morris |first=John |date=July 24, 2000 |title=Boeing in No Hurry to Launch 747X |url=http://www.aviationnow.com/shownews/00farn1/topsto31.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812011727/http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews/00farn1/topsto31.htm |archive-date=August 12, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2007 |work=Aviation Week}}

File:Qantas Boeing 747-438ER VH-OEI at LAX.jpg

Like its predecessor, the 747X family was unable to garner enough interest to justify production, and it was shelved along with the 767-400ERX in March 2001, when Boeing announced the Sonic Cruiser concept. Though the 747X design was less costly than the 747-500X and -600X, it was criticized for not offering a sufficient advance from the existing {{not a typo|747-400}}. The 747X did not make it beyond the drawing board, but the 747-400X being developed concurrently moved into production to become the 747-400ER.{{Cite press release |title=Boeing Launches New, Longer-Range 747-400 |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_001128c.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090706141448/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2000/news_release_001128c.html |archive-date=July 6, 2009 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |work=The Boeing Company}}

After the end of the 747X program, Boeing continued to study improvements that could be made to the 747. The 747-400XQLR (Quiet Long Range) was meant to have an increased range of {{Convert|7980|nmi|abbr=on}}, with improvements to boost efficiency and reduce noise.[https://web.archive.org/web/20020306000939/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2002/q1/nr_020225h.html "Boeing Offers New 747-400X Quiet Longer Range Jetliner"]. The Boeing Company, February 26, 2002. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.[http://www.geae.com/aboutgeae/presscenter/cf6/cf6_20020325.html "GE's CF6 Engine Models Tailored For Boeing's 747-400XQLR Wide-Body."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611140416/http://www.geae.com/aboutgeae/presscenter/cf6/cf6_20020325.html|date=June 11, 2009}} GE Aviation, March 25, 2002. Improvements studied included raked wingtips similar to those used on the 767-400ER and a sawtooth engine nacelle for noise reduction.Steinke, Sebastian. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090410050853/http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/frheft/FRH0205/FR0205c.htm "Boeing Proposes 747-400X Quiet Longer Range"]. Flug Revue Online, May 2002. Retrieved: July 15, 2011. Although the 747-400XQLR did not move to production, many of its features were used for the 747 Advanced, which was launched as the 747-8 in 2005.Kingsley-Jones, Max. [https://www.flightglobal.com/in-focus-boeing-747-8-technical-description-and-cutaway/107801.article "IN FOCUS: Boeing 747-8 technical description & cutaway"]. Flight Global, November 13, 2012.

{{Main|List of Boeing 747 operators}}

In 1979, Qantas became the first airline in the world to operate an all Boeing 747 fleet, with seventeen aircraft.All Jumbos Australian Transport February 1979 p. 22.

{{As of|2019|July|}}, there were 462 Boeing 747s in airline service, with Atlas Air and British Airways being the largest operators with 33 747-400s each.Thisdell and Seymour Flight International July 30 – August 5, 2019, pp. 25, 39–40.

The last US passenger Boeing 747 was retired from Delta Air Lines in December 2017. The model flew for almost every American major carrier since its 1970 introduction.{{Cite news |last=Edward Russell |date=October 12, 2017 |title=US 747s fly into the sunset |work=Flightglobal |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-us-747s-fly-into-the-sunset-441290/}} Delta flew three of its last four aircraft on a farewell tour, from Seattle to Atlanta on December 19 then to Los Angeles and Minneapolis/St Paul on December 20.{{Cite news |last=Edward Russell |date=December 19, 2017 |title=US 747s bow out with final Delta flight |work=Flightglobal |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-us-747s-bow-out-with-final-delta-flight-444250/}}

As the IATA forecast an increase in air freight from 4% to 5% in 2018 fueled by booming trade for time-sensitive goods, from smartphones to fresh flowers, demand for freighters is strong while passenger 747s are phased out.

Of the 1,544 produced, 890 are retired; {{as of|2018|lc=y}}, a small subset of those which were intended to be parted-out got $3 million D-checks before flying again.

Young -400s were sold for 320 million yuan ($50 million) and Boeing stopped converting freighters, which used to cost nearly $30 million.

This comeback helped the airframer financing arm Boeing Capital to shrink its exposure to the 747-8 from $1.07 billion in 2017 to $481 million in 2018.{{Cite news |last=Julie Johnsson |date=May 16, 2018 |title=Boeing 747s Are Back From the Dead |agency=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-16/boeing-747s-given-up-for-dead-find-new-life-in-air-cargo-surge}}

In July 2020, British Airways announced that it was retiring its 747 fleet.{{Cite news |date=July 17, 2020 |title=British Airways retires entire 747 fleet after travel downturn |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53426886 |access-date=November 30, 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Goodinson |first=Elena |date=July 17, 2020 |title=British Airways retires iconic Boeing 747 fleet – in pictures |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/gallery/2020/jul/17/british-airways-retiresboeing-747-fleet-in-pictures |access-date=November 30, 2020}} The final British Airways 747 flights departed London Heathrow on October 8, 2020.{{Cite news |date=October 8, 2020 |title=Final flight for British Airways' last two Heathrow-based Boeing 747 planes |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-54457434 |access-date=November 30, 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Brady |first=Edna |date=October 8, 2020 |title=British Airways' last Heathrow-based 747s take off for final flights |work=Sky News |url=https://news.sky.com/story/boeing-747-british-airways-retires-its-final-jumbo-jets-following-impact-of-covid-19-12098683 |access-date=November 30, 2020}}

Boeing 747 orders and deliveries (cumulative, by year):

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: {{Legend inline|skyblue|Orders}} {{Legend inline|green|Deliveries}} — {{As of|2023|2|lc=y}}

{{notelist}}

{{small|Orders and deliveries through to the end of February 2023.}}

{{main|Boeing 747 hull losses}}

{{As of|2023|11|df=US}}, the 747 has been involved in 173 aviation accidents and incidents,{{Cite web |title=Boeing 747 occurrences |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?Type=104 |access-date=January 1, 2024 |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}} including 64 hull losses (52 in-flight accidents),{{Cite web |title=Boeing 747 hull-loss occurrences |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?field=typecode&var=104%&cat=%1&sorteer=datekey&page=1 |access-date=January 1, 2024 |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}} causing {{formatnum:{{#expr:2865+857+24}}}} fatalities.{{Cite web |title=Boeing 747 Statistics |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/type/type-stat.php?type=104 |access-date=January 1, 2024 |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}} There have been several hijackings of Boeing 747s, such as Pan Am Flight 73, a 747-100 hijacked by four terrorists, resulting in 20 deaths.{{Cite web |date=August 30, 2017 |title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-121 N656PA Karachi-Quaid-E-Azam International Airport |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19860905-0 |access-date=August 30, 2017 |publisher=Aviation-safety.net}} The 747 also fell victim to several mid-air bombings, two of which resulted in major fatalities and hull losses, Air India Flight 182 in 1985, and Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.{{Cite web|url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19850623-2|title= Air India Flight 182 - Aviation Safety Network}}{{Cite web|url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19881221-0|title= Pan Am Flight 103 - Aviation Safety Network}}{{Cite web|url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19941211-5|title= Philippine Air Lines Flight 434 - Aviation Safety Network}}

The deadliest aviation accident, the Tenerife airport disaster, resulted from pilot error and communications failure, while the Japan Air Lines Flight 123 and China Airlines Flight 611 crashes stemmed from improper aircraft repair due to a tail-strike. Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down by a Soviet fighter aircraft in 1983 after it had strayed into Soviet territory, causing US President Ronald Reagan to authorize the then-strictly-military global positioning system (GPS) for civilian use.{{cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a26980/why-the-military-released-gps-to-the-public/|title=Why the Military Released GPS to the Public|first=Juquai|last=McDuffie|date=June 19, 2017|website=Popular Mechanics|access-date=June 14, 2022|archive-date=January 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128214307/https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a26980/why-the-military-released-gps-to-the-public/|url-status=live}} South African Airways Flight 295, a 747-200M Combi, which crashed on 28 November 1987 due to an inflight fire, led to the mandate of adding fire-suppression systems on board Combi variants.{{cite web|url=http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/ll_main.cfm?TabID=3&CategoryID=18&LLID=33|title=Lessons Learned From Transport Airplane Accidents: Fire|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=25 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225223803/http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/ll_main.cfm?TabID=3&CategoryID=18&LLID=33|archive-date=25 February 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/F216CB41A2C82E168625696F0071E803?OpenDocument&Highlight=93-07-15|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|title=Airworthiness Directive 93-07-15|date=2 May 1993|access-date=25 July 2011|archive-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004331/http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/F216CB41A2C82E168625696F0071E803?OpenDocument&Highlight=93-07-15|url-status=dead}}

A handful of crashes have been attributed to 747 design flaws, mainly older 747 classic (100/200/300/SP) variants. United Airlines Flight 811, which suffered an explosive decompression mid-flight on February 24, 1989, led the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to issue a recommendation that the Boeing 747-100 and 747-200 cargo doors similar to those on the Flight 811 aircraft be modified to those featured on the Boeing {{not a typo|747-400}}. TWA Flight 800, a 747-100 that exploded in mid-air on July 17, 1996 due to sparking from the old and cracked electrical wires inside the fuel tank, where voltage levels exceeded the maximum limit, causing ignition of the fuel vapors inside the tank.{{Cite journal |date=August 23, 2000 |title=Aircraft Accident Report: In-flight Breakup Over the Atlantic Ocean Trans World Airlines Flight 800 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2000/AAR0003.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=NTSB/Aar-00/03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615201201/https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2000/AAR0003.pdf |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |access-date=June 24, 2013}} This finding led the FAA to adopt a rule in July 2008 requiring installation of an inerting system in the center fuel tank of most large aircraft, after years of research into solutions. At the time, the new safety system was expected to cost US$100,000 to $450,000 per aircraft and weigh approximately {{convert|200|lb|kg}}.[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121621918865158639 "Airlines Ordered to Cut Fuel-Tank Explosion Risk"]. Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2008, p. B5. Note: Cargo aircraft and smaller regional jets and commuter aircraft are not subject to this rule. Two 747-200F freighters - China Airlines Flight 358 in December 1991 and El Al Flight 1862 in October 1992, crashed after the fuse pins for an engine (no. 3) broke off shortly after take-off due to metal fatigue, and instead of simply dropping away from the wing, the engine knocked off the adjacent engine and damaged the wing.{{Cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-258F 4X-AXG Amsterdam |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19921004-2 |access-date=December 9, 2013 |publisher=Aviation-safety.net}} Following these crashes, Boeing issued a directive to examine and replace all fuse pins found to be cracked. The lack of adequate warning systems combined with flight crew error led to a preventable crash of Lufthansa Flight 540 in November 1974, which was the first fatal crash of a 747,{{cite journal|url=http://gainjet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/BlueSkies_03.pdf|title=Case Study: Lufthansa - Flight 540 - Boeing 747-130, November 20, 1974 |publisher=GainJet Aviation|periodical=Blue Skies: GainJet Aviation Safety Magazine|date=13 January 2022 |issue=3}}{{Cite web|title=The First B-747 Goes Down Just After Takeoff|url=http://avstop.com/news/gd.html|website=avstop.com|access-date=2020-05-05}} while an instrument malfunction leading to crew disorientation caused the crash of Air India Flight 855 on New Years Day in 1978.{{Cite web|url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19741120-0 |title= Lufthansa Flight 540 |website= Aviation Safety Network}}{{Cite web|url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19780101-1|title= Air India Flight 855 |website= Aviation Safety Network}}

Other incidents did not result in any hull losses, but the planes suffered certain damages and were put back into service after repair. On July 30, 1971, Pan Am Flight 845 struck approach lighting system structures while taking off from San Francisco for Tokyo, Japan; the plane dumped fuel and landed back. The cause was pilot error with improper calculations, and the plane was repaired and returned to service.{{Cite web |url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19710730-2|title= Pan Am Flight 845 - Aviation Safety Network}} On June 24, 1982, British Airways Flight 9, a Boeing 747-200, registration G-BDXH, flew through a cloud of volcanic ash and dust from the eruption of Mount Galunggung, suffering an all engine flameout; the crew restarted the engines and successfully landed at Jakarta. The volcanic ash caused windscreens to be sandblasted along with engine damage and paint rip-off; the plane was repaired with engines replaced and returned to service.{{Cite web|url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19820624-0|title= British Airways Flight 9 - Aviation Service Network}} On December 11, 1994, on board Philippine Airlines Flight 434 from Manila to Tokyo via Cebu, a bomb exploded under a seat, killing one passenger; the plane landed safely at Okinawa despite damage to the plane's controls. The bomber, Ramzi Yousef, was caught on 7 February 1995 in Islamabad, Pakistan, and the plane was repaired, but converted for cargo use.{{Cite web |url= https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19941211-5 |title= Philippine Airlines Flight 434 - Airline Safety Network}}

File:Boeing 747-230 Schleswig-Holstein 06.JPG livery on display at the Technikmuseum Speyer in Germany|alt=Ventral view of museum aircraft raised on struts.]]

File:747.JPG in France|alt=A parked museum aircraft on static display]]

As increasing numbers of "classic" 747-100 and {{not a typo|747-200}} series aircraft have been retired, some have been used for other uses such as museum displays. Some older 747-300s and 747-400s were later added to museum collections.

• 20235/001 – 747-121 registration N7470 City of Everett, the first 747 and prototype, is at the Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington.[http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/boeing-747-121 "Aircraft and Space Craft, Boeing 747-121"]. Museum of Flight. Retrieved: July 15, 2011.
• 19651/025 – 747-121 registration N747GE at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona, US.[http://australianaviation.com.au/2018/11/ge-aviation-donates-747-100-testbed-to-museum/ GE Aviation Donates 747-100 Testbed to Museum] written by Australianaviation.Com.Au; November 19, 2018
• 19778/027 – 747-151 registration N601US nose at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.[http://wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=1034371 "Historic Aircraft Lands at Air and Space Museum."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620025012/http://wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=1034371 |date=June 20, 2007}} WTOP News, January 16, 2007.
• 19661/070 – 747-121(SF) registration N681UP preserved at a plaza on Jungong Road, Shanghai, China.{{Cite web |last=R. |first=Stefano |date=July 8, 2017 |title=Boeing 747-121(A/SF) - Untitled Aviation Photo |url=https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Boeing-747-121-A-SF/4522997 |access-date=November 15, 2024 |website=Airliners.net}}
• 19896/072 – 747-132(SF) registration N481EV at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon, US.{{Cite web |date=June 25, 2013 |title=Artifact Pick of the Week – Boeing 747 |url=https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/artifact-pick-of-the-week-boeing-747 |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=Evergreen Air & Space Museum |archive-date=May 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517171255/https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/artifact-pick-of-the-week-boeing-747 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |title=FAA Registry: Aircraft Inquiry: N-481EV |url=https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N481EV |access-date=November 30, 2020 |publisher=FAA}}
• 20107/086 – 747-123 registration N905NA, a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, US.{{Cite web|url=http://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N905NA|title=N905NA (1970 Boeing 747-123 owned by National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Aircraft Registration|website=FlightAware}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Shuttle_replica_lifted_and_put_on_top_of_747_carrier_999.html|title=Shuttle replica lifted and put on top of 747 carrier|website=space-travel.com}}
• 20269/150 – 747-136 registration G-AWNG nose at Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos, California.{{Cite web |title=Boeing 747-100 Nose Section and Cockpit |url=https://www.hiller.org/event/boeing-747/ |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=Hiller Aviation Museum |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119083350/https://www.hiller.org/event/boeing-747/ |url-status=dead }}
• 20239/160 – 747-244B registration ZS-SAN nicknamed Lebombo, at the South African Airways Museum Society, Rand Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.{{Cite web |title="Lebombo": Boeing 747-244B |url=http://www.saamuseum.co.za/our-aircraft/43.html |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=SAA Museum Society}}
• 20541/200 – 747-128 registration F-BPVJ at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris, France.{{Cite web |title=Boeing 747-128 F-BPVJ |url=https://www.museeairespace.fr/aller-plus-haut/collections/boeing-747-128-f-bpvj/ |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=Musée Air + Espace |language=fr}}
• 20770/213 – 747-2B5B registration HL7463 at Jeongseok Aviation Center, Jeju, South Korea.[http://thebluesky.info/44 "The Blue Sky."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722000639/http://thebluesky.info/44 |date=July 22, 2011 }} thebluesky.info. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.
• 20713/219 - 747-212B(SF) registration N482EV at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon, US.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}
• 20825/223 - 747-200 registration SX-OAB at the site of Ellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece. After over 20 years sitting at the closed airport, it was moved to a permanent location within the boundaries of the airport and put on display as part of the ongoing regeneration work.{{Cite web |last=Kokkinidis |first=Tasos |date=2024-02-23 |title=Aristotle Onassis' Historic Olympic Airways Plane Displayed in Athens |url=https://greekreporter.com/2024/02/23/aristotle-onassis-olympic-airways-plane-displayed-athens/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Greek Reporter}}
• 21134/288 – 747SP-44 registration ZS-SPC at the South African Airways Museum Society, Rand Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.{{Cite web |title="Maluti": Boeing 747SP-44 |url=http://www.saamuseum.co.za/our-aircraft/65.html |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=SAA Museum Society}}
• 21549/336 – 747-206B registration PH-BUK at the Aviodrome, Lelystad, Netherlands.{{Cite web |title=Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet |url=https://www.aviodrome.nl/collectie/boeing-747/ |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=Luchvaart Museum Aviodrome |language=nl}}
• 21588/342 – 747-230B(M) registration D-ABYM preserved at Technik Museum Speyer, Germany.{{Cite web |url=https://www.airhistory.net/photo/754240/D-ABYM |access-date=March 10, 2025 |website=Airhistory.net |title=Aircraft Photo of D-ABYM | Boeing 747-230BM | Lufthansa | AirHistory.net #754240 }}
• 21650/354 – 747-2R7F/SCD registration G-MKGA preserved at Cotswold Airport, UK as an event space.{{Cite web |date=January 2, 2019 |title=Aircraft Photo of G-MKGA |url=https://www.airhistory.net/photo/142298/G-MKGA |access-date=October 7, 2021 |website=AirHistory.net}}
• 22145/410 – 747-238B registration VH-EBQ at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum, Longreach, Queensland, Australia.{{Cite web |title=The Museum |url=https://qfom.com.au/about/the-museum/ |access-date=December 1, 2020 |website=Qantas Founders Museum |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122232321/https://qfom.com.au/about/the-museum/ |url-status=dead }}
• 21942/471 – 747-212B registration N642NW nose at the Museum of Aeronautical Science in Narita, Japan, near Narita International Airport.{{Cite web |last=Kobayashi |first=Shinobu |date=15 April 2012 |title=Preserving a Boeing 747 nose |url=https://www.aero.or.jp/web-koku-to-bunka/2012_04_15_kobayashi/2012_04_15_kobayashi-1.html |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=www.aero.or.jp |language=ja}}{{Cite web |title=航空科学博物館でB747-200型の一般公開がはじまる {{!}} FlyTeam ニュース |url=https://flyteam.jp/news/article/4054 |access-date=2024-11-25 |website=FlyTeam(フライチーム) |language=ja}}
• 22455/515 – 747-256BM registration EC-DLD Lope de Vega nose at the National Museum of Science and Technology, A Coruña, Spain.
• 23719/696 – 747-451 registration N661US at the Delta Flight Museum, Atlanta, Georgia, US. This particular plane was the first {{not a typo|747-400}} in service, as well as the prototype.{{Cite web |last=Kruse |first=Brian |date=May 2, 2016 |title=Retired 747-400 takes road trip home to Flight Museum |url=http://news.delta.com/retired-747-400-takes-road-trip-home-flight-museum |access-date=November 29, 2016 |website=Delta News Hub |publisher=Delta Air Lines, Inc.}}
• 24354/731 – 747-438 registration VH-OJA at Shellharbour Airport, Albion Park Rail, New South Wales, Australia.{{Cite web |title=Boeing 747-438 "VH-OJA, City of Canberra" |url=https://hars.org.au/boeing-747-438-longreach/ |access-date=December 1, 2020 |website=HARS Aviation Museum}}
• 21441/306 - SOFIA - 747SP-21 registration N747NA at Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, US. Former Pan Am and United Airlines 747SP bought by NASA and converted into a flying telescope, for astronomy purposes. Named Clipper Lindbergh.{{Cite web |last=Fisher |first=Alise |date=2022-12-08 |title=NASA's Retired SOFIA Aircraft Finds New Home at Arizona Museum |url=http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-retired-sofia-aircraft-finds-new-home-at-arizona-museum |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=NASA}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/380911main_SOFIA_QuickFacts.pdf |title=Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy |publisher=NASA |access-date=2023-02-12 |archive-date=August 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818135017/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/380911main_SOFIA_QuickFacts.pdf |url-status=dead }}

File:Jumbo Hostel in a 747 at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.jpg at Arlanda Airport, Sweden|alt=A parked aircraft on a grassy field.]]

Upon its retirement from service, the 747 which was number two in the production line was dismantled and shipped to Hopyeong, Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea where it was re-assembled, repainted in a livery similar to that of Air Force One and converted into a restaurant. Originally flown commercially by Pan Am as N747PA, Clipper Juan T. Trippe, and repaired for service following a tailstrike, it stayed with the airline until its bankruptcy. The restaurant closed by 2009,[http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/04/abandoned-boeing-747-restaurant.html "Dark Roasted Blend: Abandoned Boeing 747 Restaurant (and Other Plane Conversions)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712014948/http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/04/abandoned-boeing-747-restaurant.html |date=July 12, 2017}} darkroastedblend.com, April 21, 2009. Retrieved: April 22, 2009. and the aircraft was scrapped in 2010.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-dec-13-la-fg-korea-plane-demolition-20101213-story.html "Historic 747 reaches grim end in South Korea"]. Chicago Tribune, December 13, 2010. Retrieved: December 13, 2010.

A former British Airways 747-200B, G-BDXJ,Wastnage, Justin. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-james-bond-casino-royale-modified-boeing-747-xxx-on-show-ahead-of-movie-207684/ James Bond Casino Royale modified Boeing 747-XXX on show ahead of movie première]." Flight International, August 29, 2006. Retrieved: January 2, 2012. is parked at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England and has been used as a movie set for productions such as the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale."[https://web.archive.org/web/20110811125411/http://www.dunsfoldpark.com/images/stories/dunsfoldpark/DPL_Newsletter_Issue_21.pdf 747 is 'Airbourne']". Dunsfold Park, March 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2012. The airplane also appears frequently in the television series Top Gear, which is filmed at Dunsfold.

The Jumbo Stay hostel, using a converted 747-200 formerly operated by Singapore Airlines and registered as 9V-SQE, opened at Arlanda Airport, Stockholm in January 2009.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7740000/newsid_7741700/7741777.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1 "Swedish Hotel Fashioned From An Old Jumbo Jet"] Tayfun King, Fast Track, BBC World News (November 23, 2008)Finighan, Adrian. [https://money.cnn.com/video/news/2009/02/11/money.jumbohostel.021109.cnnmoney/ "Jumbo Jet Hostel"] CNN Money (February 11, 2009)

A former Pakistan International Airlines 747-300 was converted into a restaurant by Pakistan's Airports Security Force in 2017.{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2017 |title=Old PIA plane takes new flight as airport security turns it into restaurant: reports |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1336540 |access-date=October 8, 2020 |website=Dawn.com |language=en}} It is located at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.{{Cite web |date=June 3, 2017 |title=ASF says its PIA jumbo jet 'restaurant' actually an officers' mess |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1426464/asf-says-pia-jumbo-jet-restaurant-actually-officers-mess |access-date=October 8, 2020 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}

The wings of a 747 have been repurposed as roofs of a house in Malibu, California.Amelar, Sarah. [http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/recordhouses/2012/747-wing-house.asp "The 747 Wing House"]. Architectural Record, April 2012. Retrieved: August 21, 2012.Tuzee, Michelle. [https://abc7.com/archive/8137232/ "Malibu 'Wing House' made of 747 plane parts"]. KABC-TV, May 17, 2011. Retrieved: August 21, 2012.Istook, Marc. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120504224636/http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/future-is-now/wing-house-house-made-old-boeing-747-160027680.html "The wing house – a house made out of an old Boeing 747"] Yahoo! News, March 3, 2012. Retrieved: August 21, 2012.Derringer, Jaime. [http://design-milk.com/the-747-wing-house/ "The 747 wing house"]. Design Milk, September 7, 2011. Retrieved: August 21, 2012.

In 2023, a Boeing 747-412, retired from Lion Air, was turned into a steak restaurant in Bekasi, Indonesia. The aircraft had been sitting since 2018 but the construction of the restaurant was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web |title=Pesawat SMB |url=https://steak21.id/lokasi/pesawat_smb |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=Steak 21 |location=Indonesia}}{{Cite web |title=First and largest private jet restaurant in Indonesia |url=https://www.antarafoto.com/view/2145054/restoran-private-jet-pertama-dan-terbesar-di-indonesia |date=2024-01-31 |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=Antara Foto |location=Indonesia}}

File:B747FAMILYv1.0.png

{{sticky header}}

{{notelist}}

{{See also|Aircraft in fiction#Boeing 747}}

File:American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum May 2019 21 (Wurlitzer electronic piano).jpg

Following its debut, the 747 rapidly achieved iconic status. The aircraft entered the cultural lexicon as the original Jumbo Jet, a term coined by the aviation media to describe its size,Haenggi 2003, p. 9. and was also nicknamed Queen of the Skies.Sutter 2006, p. 279. Test pilot David P. Davies described it as "a most impressive aeroplane with a number of exceptionally fine qualities",{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=David P. |title=Handling the Big Jets: An Explanation of the Significant Differences in Flying Qualities Between Jet Transport Aeroplanes and Piston Engined Transport Aeroplanes, Together with Some Other Aspects of Jet Transport Handling |date=1971 |publisher=Air Registration Board |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TKZTAAAAMAAJ |language=en |isbn=0903083019 |edition=3rd}}{{rp|249}} and praised its flight control system as "truly outstanding" because of its redundancy.{{rp|256}}

Appearing in over 300 film productions,{{Cite web |title=Category:Boeing 747 |url=http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=Category:Boeing_747 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |website=impdb.org}} the 747 is one of the most widely depicted civilian aircraft and is considered by many as one of the most iconic in film history.{{Cite web |date=August 6, 2013 |title=The most iconic aircraft in film history |url=http://www.chapman-freeborn.com/blog/the-most-iconic-aircraft-in-film-history/ |access-date=April 1, 2015 |website=chapman-freeborn.com}} It has appeared in film productions such as the disaster films Airport 1975 and Airport '77, as well as Air Force One, Die Hard 2, and Executive Decision.[http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/executive_decision.html "Executive Decision"]. Movie Ramblings. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/air_force_one/ "Air Force One"]. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved: December 17, 2007.

{{aircontent

|see also=

|related=

• Boeing 747 LCF
• Boeing 747-8
• Boeing 747-400
• Boeing 747SP
• Boeing E-4
• Boeing VC-25
• Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

|similar aircraft=

|lists=

• List of aircraft
• List of jet airliners
• List of megaprojects

}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• Bowers, Peter M. Boeing Aircraft Since 1916. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1989. {{ISBN|0-85177-804-6}}.
• Davies, R.E.G. Delta: An Airline and Its Aircraft: The Illustrated History of a Major U.S. Airline and the People Who Made It. McLean, VA: Paladwr Press, 1990. {{ISBN|0-9626483-0-2}}.
• Donald, David and Lake, Jon. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1996. {{ISBN|1-874023-95-6}}.
• Haenggi, Michael. Boeing Widebodies. St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing Co., 2003. {{ISBN|0-7603-0842-X}}.
• Irving, Clive. Wide Body: The Making of the Boeing 747. Philadelphia: Coronet, 1994. {{ISBN|0-340-59983-9}}.
• Itabashi, M., K. Kawata and S. Kusaka. [https://books.google.com/books?id=m34NOcdKzu8C "Pre-fatigued 2219-T87 and 6061-T6 aluminium alloys"]. Structural Failure: Technical, Legal and Insurance Aspects. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon.: Taylor & Francis, 1995. {{ISBN|978-0-419-20710-8}}.
• Jenkins, Dennis R. Boeing 747-100/200/300/SP (AirlinerTech Series, Vol. 6). North Branch, MN: Specialty Press, 2000. {{ISBN|1-58007-026-4}}.
• Kane, Robert M. Air Transportation: 1903–2003. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Co., 2004. {{ISBN|0-7575-3180-6}}.
• Lawrence, Philip K. and David Weldon Thornton. Deep Stall: The Turbulent Story of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2005, {{ISBN|0-7546-4626-2}}.
• Norris, Guy and Mark Wagner. Boeing 747: Design and Development Since 1969. St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing Co., 1997. {{ISBN|0-7603-0280-4}}.
• Norton, Bill. Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press, 2003. {{ISBN|1-58007-061-2}}.
• Orlebar, Christopher. The Concorde Story. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 5th ed., 2002. {{ISBN|1-85532-667-1}}.
• Seo, Hiroshi. Boeing 747. Worthing, West Sussex: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd., 1984. {{ISBN|0-7106-0304-5}}.
• Sutter, Joe. 747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-06-088241-9}}.
• Taylor, John W. R. (editor). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. {{ISBN|0-7106-0867-5}}.
• Thisdell, Dan and Seymour, Chris. "World Airliner Census". Flight International, July 30 – August 5, 2019, Vol. 196, No. 5697. pp. 24–47. {{ISSN|0015-3710}}.

{{Refend}}

{{refbegin|40em}}

• Ingells, Douglas J. 747: Story of the Boeing Super Jet. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1970. {{ISBN|0-8168-8704-7}}.
• The Great Gamble: The Boeing 747. The Boeing – Pan Am Project to Develop, Produce, and Introduce the 747. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1973. {{ISBN|0-8173-8700-5}}.
• Lucas, Jim. Boeing 747 – The First 20 Years. Browcom Pub. Ltd, 1988. {{ISBN|0-946141-37-1}}.
• Wright, Alan J. Boeing 747. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan, 1989. {{ISBN|0-7110-1814-6}}.
• Minton, David H. The Boeing 747 (Aero Series 40). Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1991. {{ISBN|0-8306-3574-2}}.
• Shaw, Robbie. Boeing 747 (Osprey Civil Aircraft series). London: Osprey, 1994. {{ISBN|1-85532-420-2}}.
• Baum, Brian. Boeing 747-SP (Great Airliners, Vol. 3). Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1997. {{ISBN|0-9626730-7-2}}.
• Falconer, Jonathan. Boeing 747 in Color. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan, 1997. {{ISBN|1-882663-14-4}}.
• Gilchrist, Peter. Boeing 747-400 (Airliner Color History). Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1998. {{ISBN|0-7603-0616-8}}.
• Henderson, Scott. Boeing 747-100/200 In Camera. Minneapolis, MN: Scoval Publishing, 1999. {{ISBN|1-902236-01-7}}.
• Pealing, Norman, and Savage, Mike. Jumbo Jetliners: Boeing's 747 and the Widebodies (Osprey Color Classics). Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1999. {{ISBN|1-85532-874-7}}.
• Shaw, Robbie. Boeing 747-400: The Mega-Top (Osprey Civil Aircraft series)/ London: Osprey, 1999. {{ISBN|1-85532-893-3}}.
• Wilson, Stewart. Boeing 747 (Aviation Notebook Series). Queanbeyan, NSW: Wilson Media Pty. Ltd, 1999. {{ISBN|1-876722-01-0}} .
• Wilson, Stewart. Airliners of the World. Fyshwick, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd., 1999. {{ISBN|1-875671-44-7}}.
• Birtles, Philip. Boeing 747-400. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan, 2000. {{ISBN|0-7110-2728-5}}.
• Bowman, Martin. Boeing 747 (Crowood Aviation Series). Marlborough, Wilts.: Crowood, 2000. {{ISBN|1-86126-242-6}}
• Dorr, Robert F. Boeing 747-400 (AirlinerTech Series, Vol. 10). North Branch, MN: Specialty Press, 2000. {{ISBN|1-58007-055-8}}.
• Gesar, Aram. Boeing 747: The Jumbo. New York: Pyramid Media Group, 2000. {{ISBN|0-944188-02-8}}.
• Gilchrist, Peter. Boeing 747 Classic (Airliner Color History). Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 2000. {{ISBN|0-7603-1007-6}}.
• Graham, Ian. In Control: How to Fly a 747. Somerville, MA: Candlewick, 2000. {{ISBN|0-7636-1278-2}}.
• Nicholls, Mark. The Airliner World Book of the Boeing 747. New York: Osprey Publishing, 2002. {{ISBN|0-946219-61-3}}.
• March, Peter. The Boeing 747 Story. Stroud, Glos.: The History Press, 2009. {{ISBN|0-7509-4485-4}}.
• {{cite book |last1=Eames |first1=Jim |title=The Mighty 747: Australia's Queen of the Skies |date=2022 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Crows Nest, NSW |isbn=9781760877118 |url={{GBurl|yah-EAAAQBAJ}}}}
• {{cite book |last1=Spaeth |first1=Andreas |last2=Thomas |first2=Geoffrey |title=Boeing 747: Memories of the Jumbo Jet / Boeing 747: Erinnerungen an den Jumbojet |language=en,de |date=2022 |publisher=Delius Fine Books |location=Berlin |isbn=9783949827006}}

{{refend}}

{{Commons}}

• {{Cite web |title=747-8 |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8/ |publisher=Boeing}}
• {{Cite web |title=747-100 cutaway |url= https://d1a2ot8agkqe8w.cloudfront.net/web/2019/02/747-spread_76105.jpg |publisher=FlightGlobal}}
• {{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_1yWDoehhE |title=Debut of Boeing 747 |date=October 1, 1968 |publisher=British Movietone News |at=color – no sound}}
• {{Cite web |date=April 28, 1969 |title=Photos: Boeing 747-100 Assembly Line In 1969 |url=http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/photos-boeing-747-100-assembly-line-1969 |website=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}
• {{Cite magazine |date=June 2005 |title=Aircraft Owner's & Operator's Guide: 747-200/-300 |url=http://www.aircraft-commerce.com/sample_articles/sample_articles/owners_guide.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009004335if_/http://www.aircraft-commerce.com/sample_articles/sample_articles/owners_guide.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-10-09 |magazine=Aircraft commerce }}
• {{Cite web |date=June 3, 2007 |title=Boeing 747 Aircraft Profile |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-747-aircraft-profile-216270/ |publisher=FlightGlobal}}
• {{Cite web |last=Negroni |first=Christine |date=July 2014 |title=747: The World's Airliner |url=http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/747-worlds-airliner-180951414/?all&no-ist |website=Air & Space Magazine}}
• {{Cite web |date=February 24, 2015 |title=This Luxury Boeing 747-8 for the Super-Rich is a Palace in the Sky |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/g1893/boeing-747-8-greenpoint-technologies-luxury/ |publisher=popular mechanics}}
• {{Cite web |date=April 15, 2016 |title=How Boeing and Pan Am created an airliner legend |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-how-boeing-and-pan-am-created-an-airliner-424169/ |publisher=flightglobal}}
• {{Cite web |date=August 2016 |title=Boeing 747: Evolution of a Jumbo, As Featured On Aviation Week's Covers |url= https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/boeing-747-evolution-jumbo-featured-aviation-weeks-covers-1 |website=Aviation Week}}
• {{Cite news |date=February 8, 2019 |title=Boeing's Jumbo jet celebrates golden jubilee |work=FlightGlobal |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/video-pictures-boeings-jumbo-jet-celebrates-gol-455635/}}
• {{Cite news |last=Guy Norris |date=February 8, 2019 |title=Boeing's Queen of the Skies Marks 50th Anniversary Of First Flight |work=Aviation Week & Space Technology |url= https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/boeings-queen-skies-marks-50th-anniversary-first-flight}}
• {{Cite web |last=Guy Norris |title=Evolution of a Widebody: 50 Years of the Boeing 747 |url=http://aviationweek.com/747 |website=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}
• {{cite web |url= https://sites.northwestern.edu/747anniversary/ |title= The 747 Takes Off: The Dawn of the Jumbo Jet Age |work= Digital Exhibit |publisher= Northwestern University Transportation Library |date= January 2020}}
• {{cite news |url= https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/how-boeings-747-revolutionized-air-travel |title= How Boeing's 747 Revolutionized Air Travel |author= Jens Flottau |date= January 26, 2023 |work= Aviation Week & Space Technology}}

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Boeing 747

Category:1960s United States airliners

Category:Quadjets

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1969

Category:Double-deck aircraft

747

Category:Low-wing aircraft

Category:Wide-body aircraft

Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear