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The Jumbo Jet has turned 40
40 years ago, on Februar 9, 1969, the first Boeing 747, nicknamed "Jumbo Jet", took off from Paine Field near Everett, Washington.
When the Jumbo Jet entered regular service for PamAm, people admired it like an exotic animal. Its dimensions were revolutionary: With a length of 70 meters (230 feet), a wingspan of 60 meters (197 feet) and a takeoff weight of 333 tons (735,000 pounds), it marked the beginning of a new era for aviation. Its cabin was nearly 60 meters (197 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) wide and opened entirely new possibilities for outfitting.
On April 26, 1970, Lufthansa's first Jumbo Jet, named "Nordrhein-Westfalen", started regular service from New York to Frankfurt. According to Boeing, Jumbo Jets have flown more than 17 million flights to date. Worldwide, more than 1,500 planes of all Boeing 747 variants have been ordered, including the upcoming Boeing 747-800 whose design incorporates major contributions by Lufthansa. Lufthansa alone has purchased more than 80 Boeing 747s. The freight model has been a success as well: More than 150 planes have been sold of just the 747-400F.
Today the Lufthansa fleet includes 30 Boeing 747-400 passenger planes, each with 344 seats and a range of 12,750 kilometers (7,923 miles). This is sufficient for Lufthansa's longest non-stop route: flights LH 510 and LH 511 between Frankfurt and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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