Boeing 747-400

Boeing launched the 747-400 in October 1985 as a fully updated jumbo, with Northwest Airlines as launch customer. Boeing had to modernize the design or lose the market to newer twins. The aircraft first flew on April 29, 1988, and Northwest began service on February 9, 1989. The -400 bought the old design another two decades of life. Northwest and many other carriers ordered it heavily.

The biggest change sat in the cockpit. A two-crew glass flight deck replaced the three-person setup of earlier 747s, so the flight engineer's station disappeared. Boeing also added six-foot winglets on a longer wing and new engines from Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and Rolls-Royce. Fuel burn dropped, crew costs fell, and airlines could fly farther. The savings showed up immediately on the balance sheet.

With 694 delivered in passenger, freighter, combi and domestic forms, the -400 is the best-selling 747. It flew flagship routes for British Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, and a special -400ER stretched range further for Qantas. Passenger retirements began after 2015 and the pandemic finished most fleets. It now works mainly as a freighter at Atlas Air and UPS. A few passenger examples survive at Lufthansa and Rossiya.

Four high-bypass turbofans hang under the wing, and airlines could choose the PW4056, CF6-80C2 or RB211-524G/H. The two-crew cockpit uses six CRT displays and removed the need for a flight engineer. The wing gained a six-foot span extension with canted winglets, and a tail fuel tank added range.

The partial double-deck fuselage carries passengers on two levels at the front, with the stretched upper deck now standard. Three-class capacity is about 416 seats, and 16 main wheels on four bogies spread the load. The type carried the long-haul market for two decades.