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Home » Airplanes » 747 » How China Airlines Said Goodbye To Boeing 747
747China Airlines

How China Airlines Said Goodbye To Boeing 747

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 23, 2021November 14, 2023 10 Comments

a large airplane taking off

After 45 years of gracing the sky for China Airlines, the Taiwanese airline has completed its final Boeing 747 flight…to nowhere.

Final China Airlines 747 Flight

Last autumn, I noted that China Airlines would retire its 747 passenger fleet in 2021. On March 20, 2021, the final China Airlines 747 passenger flight occurred, a 5-hour, 38-minute flight to nowhere.

The aircraft took off from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at 11:30AM local time heading toward Japan. 350 passengers were onboard. 

The aircraft then flew to Mount Fuji, circled it, and returned home.

a map of japan with a route
FlightRadar24 (screenshot)

This flight was particularly special because the 747 used was the final 747-400 passenger variant produced, delivered to China Airlines in 2005.

China Airlines joins a long list of carriers which have retired the 747-400 during the pandemic, including:

  • British Airways
  • Corsair
  • KLM
  • Lufthansa
  • Qantas
  • Thai Airways
  • Virgin Atlantic

If it is any consolation, you’ll still see China Airlines 747-400s at airports around the world: the carrier will continue to operate a fleet of 17 747-400F freighters.

CONCLUSION

China Airlines noted:

“China Airlines thanks the 747-400 passenger aircraft for its contributions to Taiwan and China Airlines, and hopes that every passenger will always remember the Queen of the Skies.”

Oh yes, we will.

China Airlines offers a superior onboard product on both its 777-300 and A350 aircraft, but there’s nothing like the Queen.

(H/T: FlightGlobal)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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10 Comments

  1. Tom Reply
    March 23, 2021 at 9:13 am

    Great write up. For us aviation enthusiasts, the 747 will always remain in our fondest memories. I remember flying China Airlines 747 out of SFO years ago. The livery was always the most eye catching at the gate. Boarding this plane would fill me with the excitement of bustling Taiwanese night markets. I miss Asia a lot too now that I am writing this lol.

  2. Asarious Reply
    March 23, 2021 at 11:33 am

    @Matthew

    I wouldn’t typically point out typos, but it’s a proper noun in this case.

    You have it written as Mt Fiji instead of Fuji.

    Please feel free to delete this comment after reading it.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 23, 2021 at 12:18 pm

      What a difference a vowel makes!

  3. Andy K Reply
    March 23, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    “China” airlines …. LOL

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      March 23, 2021 at 1:27 pm

      Google “Republic of China”

  4. Stuart Reply
    March 23, 2021 at 1:36 pm

    Still has not settled in yet that I may never fly on a 747-400 again. The quintessential plane that took me around the world for decades. I’ll never forget watching a formation of BA Queens on radar flying from LHR to Victorville last summer, banished to the desert, and wishing I had appreciated more that last time a few months before that I was on one.

  5. Paolo Reply
    March 23, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    It will be missed. China Airlines has developed into one of the very best airlines in Asia. During the ‘80s and ‘90s it was something of a Russian Roulette experience, but it has improved out of sight…

  6. cargocult Reply
    March 24, 2021 at 7:30 am

    As nice as the 747-400 might have been to behold, does anyone actually think the in-flight experience on one recently would compare favorably to that on a newer aircraft?

  7. Pingback: How China Airlines Said Goodbye To Boeing 747 - Fiji Online News
  8. Pingback: China Airlines Retires Boeing 747 - Plus Trip Review! - economiles

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