Farewell to the Queen of the Skies

The era of the Boeing 747, which revolutionised long-distance air travel, has ended, and with it an illustrious partnership with SAA, writes

The last of the iconic Boeing 747s, the aircraft that introduced double-decker long-distance air travel to global skies, rolled out of the assembly line at Boeing’s US production facility in December 2022.

On January 31, Boeing will host a celebration of the aircraft’s global impact. With airlines, it will commemorate its history as the aircraft that redefined modern air travel. SAA has been invited as a special guest.

SAA was one of the first launch customers to partner with Boeing after it ushered in a new era of wide-body passenger aircraft on September 30 1968. The 747 became an icon internationally and had a profound effect on SAA.

During its unveiling all those years ago, the SAA logo was one of 20 to adorn this marvel of aeronautical engineering. In December 1968 SAA ordered three Boeing 747-244s to meet its growing demand, the largest single order for aircraft in SAA history in economic terms.

Fondly referred to as the jumbo jet, the 747 changed the way passenger aircraft were designed. As the first twin-aisle airliner, it enabled long-haul air travel and rightly earned the moniker Queen of the Skies from the pilots and passengers who proudly flew in it.

The introduction of the 747 drove exponential growth in air travel, tourism and connections between people around the world.

In its first year of operation, a fully loaded 747 cut the cost per passenger by half and made flying instantly more accessible.

A mainstay

The jumbo jet has enjoyed an illustrious history with SAA. Of the 1,574 aircraft produced, 28 were delivered to the airline, either through direct purchases from Boeing or second-hand from other fleets.

The first Boeing 747 arrived in Johannesburg on November 6 1971. It was registered as ZS-SAN and christened “Lebombo ”— a word derived from the Zulu word ubombo, meaning “big nose”.

The aircraft was the focal point of many notable occasions for SAA.

On April 24 1976, SAA operated the world’s first commercial flight using a Boeing 747SP, flying the Johannesburg Lisbon-Rome-Athens service.

On January 6 1977, an SAA Boeing 747SP made its first scheduled flight between Johannesburg and Sydney, Australia, offering in-flight audio entertainment and movies — a unique experience then.

Over the years, the Boeing 747 has become a mainstay of SAA’s aircraft repair and overhaul subsidiary, SAA Technical, which developed specific maintenance skills from working on the aircraft.

This led to the company being regarded as the leading Boeing 747 maintenance workshop in the southern hemisphere.

On June 24 1995, the Rugby World Cup final was held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg; it became an occasion many across the world would remember not only for the Springboks’ victory, but for the low-altitude flyover of an SAA Boeing 747.

With more than half a billion people watching worldwide, and the stadium packed to capacity, captain Laurie Kay piloted his plane low over the stadium moments before kick-off.

The words “Good luck Bokke” were written across the jet’s underbelly. That day, with well-wishes etched on the 747, united South Africa.