Fisrt BA 747-400 scrapped

[Garry Russell]

BA stored some 747-300 over the last few years in the US, one of which recently returned to service

Less certain was G-BNLB and G-ANLC which were PWFU in Cardiff

G-BNLB is about to be broken up following G-BNLC which was broken up last week (Friday according to some reports)

On the subject of 747s..Singapore is to replace the 747 Frankfurt-NY service form Jan 15 with Airbus A380

One Delta and one Untied 747 service from Germany to the US is current and those plus Air France, BA, Virgin and Lufthansa are the only one operating passenger Trans Atlantic flights now. The Delta and UNited have been on and off for a year or so

Lufthansa has an assure future with the type as they have ordered a fleet of 830's with the same registrations as the 130 (G-ABY*)

As for the other carriers they are slowly reducing the size of their 747 fleets.

A similar situation is current with the Airbus A.340 which is slowly leaving many fleets and being replaces by A.330. South African has just started withdrawing their A.340-200 and Virgin and Air France has disposed of the odd one here and there.

Times are a changing

[ianhind]

United have been using 747s out of Heathrow for the past few weeks on United 930/931. Didn't think I'd see any more of those with all the 767s and 777s around.

My Mode-S box has recorded the following on these flights during November:

104,116,117,118,119,121,122,171,177,178,179,180,182,197 (all NxxxUA).

[Garry Russell]

They seem to stop them then re introduce them on the Frankfurts,

Didn't realise they've come back the LHR, maybe just a winter thing.

It's almost as if they just become a filler/back up fleet

[ianhind]

N119UA just gone overhead here as United 931- clear blue sky - climbing through FL280 on its way to FL320

[Garry Russell]

United has disposed of few this year, I just missed on what turned out to be one of it's last services.

Not much chance of seeing anything here ...wall to wall clouds as has been mosr days recently