A Gallery: Boeing 747 Going into Retirement

Airlines all over the words, including all of the U.S. ones, have put their Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets into arid “retirement homes” in the desert due to the fact they now have more efficient planes that can fly just as far. The newer, smaller airliners are also easier to fill, unlike the 400+ seat 747s, so they can be more profitable. The aircraft first flew in 1969, and Pan Am, once a major U.S. airline, was using them to carry passengers as soon as 1970. Over the years, 1,558 were built, with two dedicated to testing at Boeing. It carries between 400 and 600 passengers, depending on what version of the 747 it is. It can also be set up to carry all cargo or a mix of cargo and passengers.