Washington (AFP)

The Boeing 747, whose production will stop in 2022, is a legendary aircraft that has revolutionized air travel and tourism. But the time of the "Jumbo Jet", a kerosene-hungry four-jet engine, was numbered against competition from modern jets.

Born in 1969, at the same time as the Concorde, the 747 is an unprecedented commercial success: a total of 1,571 units have been ordered since the beginning, of which 1,556 have been delivered.

Above all, it has enabled hundreds of millions of travelers to discover the world at affordable rates thanks to the development of "charter" flights, configured in fully economical seats, carrying several hundred passengers at a time to vacation destinations.

In France, it was notably widely used in the 90s by the Corsair company for its flights to the Antilles.

For 35 years, the 747 officiated in the world without sharing, until the arrival, in 2005, of the Super Jumbo A380 of the great European rival Airbus.

- Challenge -

The 747 owes its birth to Juan Trippe, visionary boss of the now defunct Pan Am company, who from the early 1960s was convinced that air transport, and in particular transoceanic links, would explode.

The story goes that it was while fishing in Alaska that he managed to convince his friend and Boeing boss at the time, Bill Allen, to build him an airplane twice the size of the 707.

“If you have the nerve to build it, I'll buy it from you!” He would have challenged her.

A few years later, the 747, also nicknamed "queen of the skies", took off.

Most recognizable by its "hump" at the front of the fuselage, it can carry more than 600 passengers, depending on the version.

It has a double deck - the upper deck serving as first class - and four reactors: its weak point, in the age of environmental protection and cost reduction.

"Given the current market dynamics and outlook, we will stop production of the iconic 747 in 2022," aircraft manufacturer general manager David Calhoun said in a message to employees.

"50 years and 8 versions. It's a great journey!", Summarizes Michel Merluzeau, aeronautical expert at Air Insight Research.

"But its days were numbered, and this long before the Covid-19 crisis", he said, stressing that the aircraft had become a "niche" aircraft whether for the passenger market or for the specialized freight market .

Not to mention recent competition from the A350 from European Airbus, the Jumbo Jet was cannibalized within the Boeing fleet itself by the 777-300ER (extended range) and the 777X, much larger aircraft. effective.

- "From another era" -

In recent years, the 747 has become an airplane "from another era, with production methods that are no longer valid for the future", explains Mr. Merluzeau.

In the United States, no company has had it in its fleet since the end of 2017.

Like its competitor the A380 - whose production will stop in 2021 - it was in turn a victim of the financial crisis of 2008 before the companies turned to the 787 or the A350.

Less kerosene greedy, these modern jets can also fly farther and farther, thanks to a new generation of engines, making the use of four-jets less and less relevant, which also require twice as much maintenance.

The 747 saw its slow agony accelerate with the coronavirus pandemic which prompted several companies including Qantas and Lufthansa to recently announce that they were going to part ways with it.

By 2022, Boeing will continue to manufacture 747s for freight and military operations.

The plane can also still count on the support of the President of the United States and his Air Force One since two 747-8, larger, more modern, faster and less greedy in kerosene than the current 747-200, are expected by the White House.

© 2020 AFP