COVID-19: BRITISH AIRWAYS RETIRES ENTIRE BOEING 747 JUMBO JETS
British Airways says it is ready to retire its 31 Boeing 747 jumbo passenger jets four years earlier than planned due to the economic effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
The airline made this known in a statement on Friday, July 17, saying it had planned to stop using the 747s in 2024, but brought forward the date to stop losses.
BA, in its statement, said, “It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleets with immediate effect.”
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It is unlikely our magnificent ‘queen of the skies’ will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic.’’
British Airline, the world largest operator of Boeing 747s, said it would operate future flights “on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as our new A350s and 787s, to help us achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
"While the aircraft will always have a special place in our heart, as we head into the future we will be operating more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as our new A350s and 787s," BA added.
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The chief executive of British Airways, Alex Cruz, had earlier said the company is facing a battle for survival due to the pandemic, adding that it will cut about 12,000 jobs, or about 28% of its workforce, to enable it to operate a smaller travel market, CNN reports.
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