Ahead of the Boeing 747 fleet retirement, Qantas Airways begins a series of good-bye events, giving Aussie public the one final chance to fly on the double-decker. The first flight takes place in Sydney on July 13, 2020.
In total, the series will consist of three one-hour special flights; all operated by the same aircraft ‒ the last Boeing 747 remaining in Qantas fleet. The 17 years old Jumbo jet, registered as VH-OEJ, is named Wunala and is distinctive for its Wunala Dreaming livery.
The following “farewell jumbo joy flights”, as the airline brands them, are planned in Brisbane (on July 15) and Canberra (on July 17). However, the Canberra flight will not be the last time when plane spotters can see Wunala soaring through the skies. The final 747-400 flight (QF7474) is scheduled to depart Sydney on July 22, 2020.
Having received its very first Boeing 747 in 1971, the Australian airline has been an enthusiastic admirer of the type for years. Qantas has flown almost every type of the 747 (-100, -200, -300, -400, and SP variants) and at one point even operated an all-Boeing 747 fleet. In total, at least 65 Jumbo jets have passed the air carrier’s fleet, planespotters.net data indicates.
In 1989, Qantas Airways employed its brand new Boeing 747 and set a world record for the longest unrefueled flight by a commercial aircraft (at that time). The flight was the delivery flight of the airliner. It took off from London and flew non-stop all the way to Sydney. Ironically, the record-breaking aircraft was named under another Australian city, Canberra.