Which Airlines Still Fly The Boeing 747 On Its 55th Flight Anniversary?

Mexico City, Mexico - October 20, 2019: Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 landing at Mexico City Intl. Airport ..

. [+] after a long fligth from Frankfurt. January 22, 2025, marks the 55 th anniversary of the first commercial flight of the Boeing 747, the graceful giant jet that changed the world of travel.

Amazingly, four airlines still fly passenger versions of the fabled aircraft, Lufthansa, Korean Air, Air China, and Rossiya, a division of Russian carrier Aeroflot. The first commercial flight of the Boeing 747 took place on January 22, 1970, from New York's JFK to London Heathrow. The flight was operated by Pan Am and carried 335 presumably paying passengers (frequent flyer programs did not arrive until 1979) and 20 crew members.

The first flight proved a bit challenging for the passengers and crew. It was originally supposed to fly on January 21, but was delayed a day for ‘technical problems,’ apparently an engine failure. Boeing swapped it with another aircraft, named “Clipper Young America.

” It finally took off on January 22 at 1:52AM Eastern time. You can see passengers relaxing with a cigarette here . The development of the 747 was a bold step for Boeing.

The company’s 707 was the first successful jet airliner, spanning the United States and connecting the continents. But the 707 could carry only between 140 and 189 passengers a maximum of 5700 miles. Boeing perceived a need for a much larger plane that could accommodate the growing masses of middle-class American tour.