Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is the aircraft that changed the world. When it entered service with Pan American World Airways on 22 January 1970, flying 362 passengers from New York to London, it was nearly twice the size of anything that had previously flown commercially. More importantly, it was cheap to operate per seat — cheap enough to make intercontinental flight accessible to hundreds of millions of people who had never travelled by air before.

The 747’s distinctive hump — which houses the upper deck, originally intended as a first-class lounge — was born from an engineering requirement rather than aesthetics. Boeing’s designers placed the cockpit above the main deck to allow nose-loading of freight, anticipating that the aircraft would eventually transition to cargo use as passenger demand was met. The hump became the 747’s most recognisable feature and was enlarged progressively through the -200, -300, and -400 variants.

The economics were transformative. In 1970, a transatlantic round-trip fare cost roughly $550 in economy — equivalent to over $4,000 today. By the mid-1980s, the proliferation of 747s (and competitive pressure they created) had driven fares to a fraction of that in real terms. Package holidays, backpacking, and gap years became possible for ordinary working people. The 747 is, in the most direct sense, the machine that globalised popular culture.

Boeing sold 1,574 aircraft across all variants before closing the production line in 2022 with the delivery of the last 747-8F freighter to Atlas Air. The final passenger variant, the 747-8I Intercontinental, found only modest demand compared to twin-engine long-haul aircraft like the 777 and 787, which offer lower operating costs on routes that don’t fill the 747’s enormous cabin. In freight configuration, however, the 747’s main deck cargo door and vast volume remain unmatched — the aircraft continues to carry roughly 25% of global air cargo by value.

The 747 serves one additional role that no other aircraft can fill: as Air Force One. The two VC-25A aircraft operated by the US Air Force are heavily modified 747-200Bs with a command centre, secure communications, and the ability to be refuelled in flight. They have transported every American president since George H.W. Bush.