Boeing 747: Last plane delivered in regal send-off

Atlas Air, an American cargo airline, took delivery of the last 747 to be manufactured on Thursday morning.

The crew flew a special flight path, drawing a huge crown in the sky with the numbers seven, four and seven.

It comes days after workers said their final goodbye to the iconic plane, dubbed the Queen of the Skies.

The 747 is one of the world's most recognisable planes, having been in production for more than 50 years, and is credited with starting the era of the jumbo jet, being the first aircraft to earn the nickname.

On Tuesday, thousands of employees from Boeing gathered at the company's factory in Everett, Washington - the home of the 747 since 1967 - to say farewell.

Among those in attendance was actor John Travolta, an aviation enthusiast and private pilot.

As an ambassador for Qantas airlines, he remembered learning to fly the 747-400.

"[It was] the toughest programme that any commercial pilot will ever have to endure," he said.

Elsewhere in the crowd were also some of those who helped develop the jet in the 1960s - the so-called "incredibles".

The last 747 rolled off the assembly line 7 December, completing inspections, flight tests and getting a paint job before finally being handed over to Atlas, which operates the aircraft as freighters.

Designed in just 28 months, the 747 was the first ever twin-aisle jetliner and was first introduced by the now-defunct airline Pan Am in 1970.

Traditionally one of Boeing's best selling products, the 747 has suffered declining demand in recent years, as both the company and its European rival Airbus developed more fuel-efficient and profitable planes.

In 2020, Boeing announced that it would end production. Its largest new jet, the delayed 777X, is not expected to hit the market until 2025.

-bbc