AIR NEW Zealand has operated its final scheduled passenger service using the Boeing 747. The type is giving way to the next generation of long-haul airliners including the 777-300ER and 787-9 Dreamliner. The last rotation, flown by ZK-NBV (c/n 26910) Christchurch, made its final touchdown on September 12, following a flight from San Francisco to Auckland. This marked the end of the carrier’s 35-year association with the Jumbo Jet, which began with the delivery of the first of five 747-219Bs, ZK-NZV (c/n 22722), on May 22, 1981. The aircraft was immediately introduced on the carrier’s trans-Pacific services linking Auckland to Los Angeles, California nonstop. The -219Bs were eventually replaced by a fleet of eight 379-seat -419s, the first of which, ZK-NBS (c/n 24386), was delivered on December 14, 1989. It was immediately leased to Cathay Pacific Airways for a 14-month period before being returned to New Zealand’s national carrier. The final aircraft has been put into temporary storage following its final flight while its future is decided.
(Photo Airtemimages.com/Steve Flint)