British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet

Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by sjwright on Thursday July 16, 2020 @10:23PM (#23866313)

Assuming you don’t have a 1500–2000 metre heavy aircraft runway in your backyard, it’s the shipping costs that would likely kill you.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by BurningFrog on Thursday July 16, 2020 @11:13PM (#23866598)

I guess it would have to be disassembled and shipped in pieces.

Unless a cargo blimp can take it. Do such things exist?

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by lmm on Friday July 17, 2020 @04:30AM (#23868447)

The Airlander 10 wrote off their old prototype, and has a maximum payload of 10 tonnes, whereas an unloaded 747 is about 180 tonnes. Remember it's a plane so big that they used to piggyback the space shuttle orbiters (which are not small) on it.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by BurningFrog on Friday July 17, 2020 @01:24PM (#23873004)

Sounds like it could be done in 20 trips.

Also sounds like even if they give the plane away, just shipping it will be a ~7 digit expense.

I hereby withdraw my interest!

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by Wowfunhappy on Thursday July 16, 2020 @11:20PM (#23866628)

I know nothing about this, but there are people who move their houses, surely a plane is easier than that.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by sjwright on Friday July 17, 2020 @11:29AM (#23871580)

I think you are grossly underestimating just how large a 747 is.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by pinot on Friday July 17, 2020 @12:08AM (#23866907)

Check out the "spruce goose" and how it was moved.

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