Sad, today BA retired another B747, G-BNLI.
Arrived at LHR this morning from Accra and is now at CWD for component recovery.
Guess we are all getting older.
http://www.thebasource.com/british-airways-b747-400-g-bnli-withdrawn/
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- readytotaxi
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Bye Bye To Another BA 747
you don't get a second chance to make a first impression!
Growing older, but not up.
Growing older, but not up.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Always sad to see them go; I saw this one when I was in London, the weekend before last.
Still, with 'STBL just about to enter service, not a huge loss of capacity.
Still, with 'STBL just about to enter service, not a huge loss of capacity.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Is sad but 12 773's, 6 A380's and the 787's have entered the fleet since 744 retirement began.
Not bad. Still got 44 744.
Not bad. Still got 44 744.
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- United_fan
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting readytotaxi (Thread starter): Guess we are all getting older |
I remember when they retired the 100's ,200's and Concorde.
"Suspicion is a matter of opinion"
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- NWAROOSTER
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting United_fan (Reply 3): Quoting readytotaxi (Thread starter): Guess we are all getting older I remember when they retired the 100's ,200's and Concorde. |
I remember when BA got all these aircraft..........
Procrastination Is The Theft Of Time.......
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- Revelation
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting readytotaxi (Thread starter): Sad, today BA retired another B747, G-BNLI. Arrived at LHR this morning from Accra and is now at CWD for component recovery. |
A bit nicer than plowing a wing through a building and then letting the breakers have at it in the open, says I...
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world
The heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
The heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own
The heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
The heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
I flew on her in late May from SFO-LHR. She may not have been as fancy as the newer planes but she will always be a Queen of the Skies. She wore the OneWorld livery well.
Not biased against vacuum flush.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Sad to see but times are a "changing", the era of teh four engine plane is coming to an end except for the A380. Once the A380 goes away will there ever be another 4 engine passenger jet ?
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Photographed her at least 5 times at PHX....she will be missed 
Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/phx787
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- American 767
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting United_fan (Reply 3): I remember when they retired the 100's ,200's and Concorde. |
Yes I remember them too. I believe that most Classic 747s, if not all, were still wearing the blue/gray Landor scheme upon retirement. Next to go will be the 767s.
Ben Soriano
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
G-BNLI has clocked more than 110.000 flight hours as much as I know. Not bad, it has served its time.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting American 767 (Reply 9): I believe that most Classic 747s, if not all, were still wearing the blue/gray Landor scheme upon retirement. Next to go will be the 767s. |
Just four BA 747 236s were painted in one of the BA World Images schemes before they were retired:
B 742 G-BDXD was painted in the BA Blue Poole scheme in May '98
B 742 G-BGXG was painted in the BA Flower Field scheme in June '98
B 742 G-BDXK was painted in the BA Chelsea Rose scheme in August '98
B 742 G-BDXO was painted in the BA Paithani scheme in December '97
One, G-BDXB, was painted in the current BA Union Flag scheme in August '00 (after its return from lease to Nigeria Airways).
There would possibly have been more painted in the Union Flag scheme but for the 9/11 atrocity. This seems to have the effect of speeding up the retirement of the BA 742 fleet. As of September 11 2001 BA were operating a fleet of ten of these aircraft. They were G-BDXB, 'XC, 'XE, XG, 'XH, 'XJ, 'XK, XL, 'XN and 'XO. Less than a month later the last of these ten aircraft in service, 'XO, was retired after it arrived at LHR from BOM on October 8.
I doubt that before 9/11 BA planned to stand down as many as ten 747 Classics in less than four weeks. However I suppose that is possible although they had been operating them alongside all 57 Boeing 744s since the last of these was delivered in April '99.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
It is even more unfourtounate that they wont even order the new 747-8 to replace these old 747-400.
lesfalls
lesfalls
Lufthansa: Einfach ein bisschen besser.
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- BlueShamu330s
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting lesfalls (Reply 12): It is even more unfourtounate that they wont even order the new 747-8 to replace these old 747-400. |
Unfortunate for who? Not for the airline when they have ordered a superior replacement fleet of aircraft better suited to their route structure.
Rgds
Flying around India
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- bennett123
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
The caa website quotes 110675 hours on the clock at the end of 2013.
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- AnsettB727
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Can't say I'll miss them. I actively avoid flying BA 744s because of the cruddy condition they're in. There's a reason BA is so cheap on their 744 routes these days.
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- Bongodog1964
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting AnsettB727 (Reply 15): Can't say I'll miss them. I actively avoid flying BA 744s because of the cruddy condition they're in. There's a reason BA is so cheap on their 744 routes these days. |
The condition has nothing to do with age and everything to do with where they are in the overhaul schedule. I flew on BNLE last week, the oldest 744 in service and saw no signs of wear apart from when we made a visit to the cockpit, that was well worn.
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- kc135topboom
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RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting NWAROOSTER (Reply 4): Quoting United_fan (Reply 3):Quoting readytotaxi (Thread starter): Guess we are all getting older I remember when they retired the 100's ,200's and Concorde. I remember when BA got all these aircraft.......... |
I remember when the were BOAC, and flew the B-377, Britannia, DC-7, Connie, Comet, B-707, VC-10, and L-1011
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 17): I remember when the were BOAC, and flew the B-377, Britannia, DC-7, Connie, Comet, B-707, VC-10, and L-1011 |
You'll find some contrasting pictures of then and now here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/avia...ield-how-Heathrow-has-changed.html
Back then I used to cycle 25 miles from home to LHR. I would get there nice and early and sit on the grass behind the three foot high oak paling "security" fence and close to the ex-army tent that was then the main terminal. I arrived in time to see the Strats and Connies landing after their flight across the Atlantic from the USA.
Although the above article is very recent it has got the passenger numbers very wrong. 650,000 passengers a week is way too low. LHR handled 6.97 million passengers last month, 72.33 million last year. That 2013 figure equates to double the stated number at an average 1.39 million a week. Perhaps the article meant arrivals only, Then it would only be a little out,
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting VV701 (Reply 11): I doubt that before 9/11 BA planned to stand down as many as ten 747 Classics in less than four weeks. However I suppose that is possible although they had been operating them alongside all 57 Boeing 744s since the last of these was delivered in April '99. |
They certainly didnt plan it. BA was very much affected by the aftermath of 9/11. I worked on the BA advertising account in 2001 and they stopped almost all advertising and marketing projects for some time which led to make me loose my job!
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting na (Reply 19): |
9/11 happened at the worst possible time for BA. Spiralling debt, revenue and profits tanking, the tail fins fiasco, management ( with the exception of Sir Rod Eddington ) lurching from one bad decision to the next etc.....I remember one day the rumour went round that the airline was within hours of going tits up.
Retiring the 742's was a no brainier along with a host of other more noticeable cut backs.
But hey.....it all came out in the wash as they say.
Other airlines not so fortunate sadly.
[Edited 2014-08-14 05:41:23]
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Did a great job for almost a quarter of a century old, time for retirement.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
As the majority of the 747s are around 20 years old, and they are not efficient at all anymore, I think it can't go quick enough for BA
phasing out old 747s and accepting more 77W, 787 and A380s.
phasing out old 747s and accepting more 77W, 787 and A380s.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
The oldest 744 is 25 years old and the newest is 15 years old. Out of 46 in still service, just 17 are over 20 years old.
I'd certainly expect some to be still in service in the early 2020s, given the delivery schedule of new long haul aircraft.
There are no further 77W on order, but there is an order for 18 A350.
I'd certainly expect some to be still in service in the early 2020s, given the delivery schedule of new long haul aircraft.
There are no further 77W on order, but there is an order for 18 A350.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
| Quoting SASMD82 (Reply 22): the majority of the 747s are around 20 years old, and they are not efficient at all anymore |
They are not fuel efficient. Nor, compared to a new aircraft, are they maintenance efficient. But those old aircraft that are written down to a residual value are hugely capital efficient compared to a new aircraft. What is more their capital cost when purchased was much lower in absolute terms than the cost of a new replacement aircraft. So today's capital cost of those older aircraft that are not yet fully amortised is also much lower than that of a new aircraft.
Consider a 77W. Boeing's list price today is US $ 330 million. BA's published policy as of April 2012 was to write down the capital value of its long-haul aircraft by 3.7 per cent of their purchase cost per annum. At the Boeing list price this means that the capital cost of a 77W is over US $ 12 million per year. And I think that, a pot of, say, US $ 9 million (allowing for a purchase price discount of 25 per cent) would pay for an awful lot of fuel inefficiency and extra maintenance. And I also think that is why BA will continue to operate their younger 744s for another five or more years.
Look at BA's youngest 744. G-BYGG is just over fifteen years old. It had flown 64,615 hours as at 31 December last. Compare that with G-BNLI. Retired this month at the age of 24 with 110,675 hours on its clock as at the end of last year, Is my expectation of only five years more service realistic? On the basis of 'LI's history could 'GG still be in service in ten years time?
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
I note that according to planespotters.net that BA now only have one aircraft in service that is pre-1990's. That would be 747-436 G-BNLE delivered on 15/11/1989. The next oldest aircraft is 767-336ER delivered 08/02/1990. It also states that the average fleet age is just 12.7 years old (I haven't checked the data for accuracy). Quite impressive I think for a major airline as large as BA and for an airline that has been around for quite a while.
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Though not about BA, but about Japan Airlines, world financial crisis struck in 2008 terminated Japan Airlines' 747s.
I remember an interview of the cockpit crew who had ferried his 747-400s to the desert field in US to store, in which he was
lamenting "We have taken very good care of 747s for long and they are young enough to fly more ten or twenty years.
Why we have to abandon them in the desert? Sand in the desert will spoil rest of their lives.It is unlikely that they will find another owner....
I remember an interview of the cockpit crew who had ferried his 747-400s to the desert field in US to store, in which he was
lamenting "We have taken very good care of 747s for long and they are young enough to fly more ten or twenty years.
Why we have to abandon them in the desert? Sand in the desert will spoil rest of their lives.It is unlikely that they will find another owner....
RE: Bye Bye To Another BA 747
Wow I flew this particular aircraft G-BNLI just April last year.
However it was a seven hours delayed flight from LAX to LHR and I was fortunate enough to be in first class, but the plane never got the new first class cabin.
Anyway, I guess the plane never got the refreshed cabin and was designated to be retired.
It also has the ONEWORLD livery too.
The era of the Queen of the Skies is slowly coming to an end! Thankfully we still have the 747-8s around!
Carfield
However it was a seven hours delayed flight from LAX to LHR and I was fortunate enough to be in first class, but the plane never got the new first class cabin.
Anyway, I guess the plane never got the refreshed cabin and was designated to be retired.
It also has the ONEWORLD livery too.
The era of the Queen of the Skies is slowly coming to an end! Thankfully we still have the 747-8s around!
Carfield
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