Fifty years on, Boeing 747 clings to life as cargo carrier
SEATTLE: Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet, an aircraft that democratized global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine passenger jets, has bounced back from near death to mark its 50-year flying anniversary on Saturday, thanks to a cargo market boom fuelled by online shopping.
Boeing’s “Queen of the Skies” is the world’s most easily recognised jetliner with its humped fuselage and four engines. It is now enjoying a second, perhaps less glamorous life, as a cargo mule for companies like United Parcel Service Inc.…