Despite no longer being in British Airways’ fleet, the memory of its iconic Boeing 747s will live on. Some 45 airports saw BA’s Boeing 747-400s on a scheduled basis between 2011 and 2020, with New York JFK being all-important. The 747 played a vital role in the airline’s widebody fleet, with up to 39 departures each day from Heathrow.
45 airports saw BA’s Boeing 747s
If 2011 to 2020 is combined, BA used its iconic B747-400s to 45 airports on a scheduled basis from Heathrow. This includes both non-stops and one-stops, with one-stops to Sydney (via Bangkok and then via Singapore), Buenos Aires (via Sao Paulo), and Doha (via Bahrain). The latter was operated until early 2012 and involved a 92-mile hop across the water, with a block time as low as 45 minutes.
Where was the top?
It’ll come as no surprise that New York JFK was overwhelmingly BA’s most important B747-400 route, with over 11 million seats when all these years are combined – seven million more than second-placed Miami.
Some 26 non-stop routes had over one million 747 seats, although not all fall into the top-15 route list, shown below. Others with one million or more include Hong Kong, Beijing, Delhi, Mexico City, Houston, and Denver. And, with just shy of one million, Riyadh.
At the other extreme are the likes of Newark, which saw minimal B747-400 service in 2014, Luanda (2014-2015), Tokyo Narita (until 2011), Abuja (2015), and Cairo (until 2012). The author vividly remembers flying a BA 747-400 to the Egyptian capital and the captain commenting on the flight’s short duration.
Moscow was shortest from Heathrow
At just 1,586 miles, Moscow Domodedovo was by far BA’s shortest scheduled B747-400 route from Heathrow. Operating from 2012 to 2015, its use to Moscow was to increase premium capacity, with even a four-class product used. At its peak in 2013, BA had over 213,000 seats by the Boeing 747, with a once-daily service.
Up to 39 BA Boeing 747 departures a day
Since 2011, BA has had up to 39 scheduled 747 departures a day, analyzing OAG data shows. On a randomly chosen day in May 2013, it had the following departures, with JFK having seven, Los Angeles three, and Boston, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Miami, and San Francisco two each.
| Heathrow to… | Scheduled departure time |
|---|---|
| New York JFK | 0830 |
| Moscow Domodedovo | 0850 |
| Los Angeles | 0940 |
| Washington | 0955 |
| New York JFK | 0955 |
| Miami | 1115 |
| Boston | 1120 |
| New York JFK | 1125 |
| Lagos | 1135 |
| San Francisco | 1145 |
| Dallas | 1155 |
| Los Angeles | 1205 |
| Dubai | 1245 |
| New York JFK | 1305 |
| Riyadh | 1310 |
| Miami | 1335 |
| San Francisco | 1400 |
| Houston | 1420 |
| New York JFK | 1440 |
| Phoenix | 1440 |
| Seattle | 1500 |
| Boston | 1545 |
| Chicago | 1545 |
| New York JFK | 1600 |
| Los Angeles | 1615 |
| Toronto | 1620 |
| Las Vegas | 1640 |
| Beijing | 1640 |
| Vancouver | 1715 |
| Hong Kong | 1830 |
| Johannesburg | 1910 |
| Singapore | 1915 |
| Cape Town | 1930 |
| New York JFK | 2000 |
| Johannesburg | 2120 |
| Sao Paulo | 2150 |
| Hong Kong | 2155 |
| Bangkok | 2205 |
| Kuwait | 2225 |
A vital role in BA’s fleet
BA’s widebody seat capacity barely changed between 2011 and 2019, but its fleet mix has – and is continuing to do so. The B747-400 played a vital role in the carrier’s widebody fleet, with over eight million seats in each year between 2011 and 2013.
And while BA’s 747s are no more, the carrier has no plans to retire its remaining four-engine aircraft, the A380, anytime soon. Quads presently have just 8% of BA’s expected widebody capacity in 2021, as the drive for much more efficient and modern twins, with lower fuel burn and less maintenance requirement, rightly grows.
What is your best memory of BA’s B747s? Comment below!