British Airways retires entire Boeing 747 fleet on coronavirus travel slump

British Airways on Friday retired all its Boeing 747 jumbo jets, hastening the withdrawal of its ageing aircraft after the coronavirus pandemic crushed demand for air travel and carriers started switching to greener jets.

BA parent group IAG, which had been due to phase out the iconic planes by 2024 in a process already begun, said the entire fleet was being retired with immediate effect owing to “the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic”.

A statement added: “As we head into the future we will be operating more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as our new (Airbus) A350s and (Boeing) 787s, to help us achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”