Last Boeing 747 to Roll Out With Livery Tomorrow

Boeing’s last 747, scheduled for delivery in the coming weeks to Atlas Air, will be rolled out tomorrow (Monday, 9th January) from the paint shop in Portland.

According to a source, the aircraft will emerge at 12 PM in Portland, that’s 12 PM Pacific Standard Time, before it is ready to fly back to Boeing’s factory. From here, Atlas Air will inspect the aircraft for further testing. Finally, it can then be delivered.

Per Flightradar24, N863GT landed in Portland on 21st December. After landing, the aircraft spent the holiday period in the paint shop. This process typically takes about ten days.

Speculation has grown about the livery the aircraft will emerge with. Many hope that Boeing will celebrate the final 747 with a unique scheme. Rumours point to a tribute to Joe Sutter. However, it is unclear whether or how that’ll be executed.

What can be confirmed is that the aircraft will not sport the typical Atlas Air livery. It’ll lean into its ongoing deal with another logistics company.

Boeing began producing the 747 over half a century ago. Since then, it has been an icon of the skies. With Boeing set to draw the curtain on the queen of the skies, tributes have poured in for the fondest memories people have with the series over its 50+ years.

Thankfully, the Boeing 747 will continue flying for decades to come. While it likely won’t fly as often for passenger service given the -8s poor performance, from a freighter standpoint, companies such as UPS and Atlas Air will keep the queen flying for years to come.

Photo Credit – Baqir_KPAE