The Boeing 747 changed flying forever when it entered service with Pan Am on 22 January 1970 — the world's first widebody, with its distinctive partial upper deck and four engines. More than 1,500 were built, and the last one rolled out of the factory in December 2022. But the passenger era is nearly over. The pandemic sped up retirements at airlines like British Airways, and today just four carriers still fly the 747 with paying passengers: Lufthansa, Korean Air, Air China and Russia's Rossiya Airlines. Lufthansa even sold a pair of its newer 747-8s to the US Air Force. Its remaining 747-400s are due to retire around 2028, once the first Boeing 777X arrives.
So what takes over? The leading candidate is the Boeing 777X, particularly the 777-9, which seats 426 in two classes — comfortably more than the 364-371 seats Lufthansa squeezes into its current 747s. It matches the 747-8 closely on range (about 8,300 miles versus 8,800) and is actually slightly longer. Being a twinjet rather than a quad, it should cost airlines far less to maintain. Its party trick is folding wingtips: a 71.75-metre wingspan on the ground becomes just under 65 metres at the gate, so it fits standard airport stands.
There's a catch, though — timing. The 777X was meant to fly commercially in 2020; it's now expected in 2027, and the delays have cost Boeing roughly $15 billion in charges so far. Still, demand is enormous: 682 orders were outstanding as of October 2026, including a huge 270 from Emirates and 124 from Qatar Airways, with Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and China Airlines also in the queue.
The other serious contender is the Airbus A350-1000. It seats up to 400 in three classes, slightly fewer than the 777-9, but it flies much further — 10,376 miles, roughly 2,000 more than the Boeing. That extra range could unlock routes the 777X can't manage, such as nonstop Europe to Australia. With Boeing's delays dragging on, availability is arguably the A350's biggest selling point: airlines can actually get them, rather than keeping thirsty old jets alive while they wait.
What about the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner? It's a lovely aircraft, but at 336 seats and a shorter range, it was built for a different job — efficient long-haul flying on thinner routes — and isn't a genuine 747 successor.
For travellers, the practical upshot is this: your chances of flying on a passenger 747 are shrinking fast, so if the Queen of the Skies is on your bucket list, Lufthansa or Korean Air are your best bets for the next few years. Meanwhile, the planes replacing it promise quieter cabins, lower fares on long routes and nonstop city pairs that never existed before. Nothing will quite replicate the 747's staircase-and-hump magic — but the jets taking its place come close on sheer scale. And even after passenger service ends, freighters and VIP-configured 747s will keep the type in the skies for years yet.
