The South Korean airline Asiana Airlines carried out its last commercial flight with a Boeing 747 aircraft this Monday (25), when the Jumbo Jet took off from Taipei, in Taiwan, and landed for the last time at the Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN), in South Korea.
According to Aerotime, the Boeing 747-400 was full of passengers, eager to board the iconic aircraft for its historic last flight and say their personal goodbyes. This is also the last 747-400 passenger aircraft in operation in South Korea.
The Jumbo, registered under the tail number HL7428, departed from Seoul at 10:15 AM local time this Monday, and landed at the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) at 11:30 AM, where the aircraft was greeted with a water salute.
本日営業便ラストフライトとなるアシアナ航空の旅客型747-400(HL7428)が台湾桃園国際空港に到着。
消防車によるウォーターサルートで盛大に迎えられました。 pic.twitter.com/N18pxr8puM— うまやどのおいる (@umayadonooil) March 25, 2024
Shortly after 1:30 PM, the ‘Queen of the Skies‘ of Asiana Airlines took off for its final flight of one hour and 52 minutes, landing at 4:35 PM in Seoul.
アシアナ航空747-400(HL7428)、台湾桃園国際空港からソウル仁川国際空港に向けての最後の離陸を、動画に収めました。 pic.twitter.com/o3dVJal8gw
— うまやどのおいる (@umayadonooil) March 25, 2024
Social media was flooded with messages of sadness in response to the retirement of the Boeing 747 from the company, but also with many thanks to the aircraft for its loyal service.
HL7428 joined the South Korean airline in 1999, becoming the third 747 of Asiana Airlines.
See also: Asiana Airlines resumes service to Melbourne with more flights
«The last passenger B747-400 in Korea. The Queen of the Skies B747 started its first operation in 1999. Preparing to say goodbye after a long flight,» Asiana wrote on its Instagram page when announcing the jet’s retirement in February 2024.
To commemorate the occasion, Asiana offered passengers a 30% discount on tickets for flights on the Boeing 747-400 during the month of March 2024.
Now, the South Korean company continues to operate only the 747-400F, a cargo transport version, with 10 units active.
Lufthansa currently has the largest fleet of Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft, with eight still in operation. Other airlines that still use the Boeing 747-400 for passenger transport are Atlas Air, Air Atlanta Europe, and Air China.
