Jet2 Marks End of UK’s Boeing 757 Passenger Era

On Sunday, January 5, 2025, British carrier Jet2 operated the UK’s final Boeing 757 passenger flight, marking the end of nearly 42 years of Boeing 757 services by UK-based airlines. The aircraft, a 37.3-year-old Boeing 757-200 registered G-LSAI, flew a rotation from Manchester (MAN) to Geneva (GVA), marking the last commercial passenger service for the Boeing 757 in the UK.

The final flight departed Manchester at 10:05 a.m. and landed in Geneva at 12:40 p.m. local time, with the return flight arriving back in Manchester at 3:24 p.m. This marked the end of an era for the Boeing 757, a workhorse of the UK’s aviation sector for over four decades.

Jet2, the low-cost British airline, has been the last operator of the Boeing 757 in the UK. At the beginning of 2024, Jet2 had eight Boeing 757s in its fleet, but by the end of the year, the number was reduced to just three. G-LSAI, the aircraft that operated the final passenger service, will soon be retired. The aircraft had already been joined by its sister ship, G-LSAK, which operated its final flights on January 4, 2025. G-LSAE, the third remaining aircraft, was ferried from Manchester to St Athan Airport near Cardiff on January 2, 2025, to be parted out and scrapped.

Jet2 is planning to bid farewell to the aircraft with a fly-past over its headquarters at Leeds-Bradford Airport (LBA) on January 8, 2025, weather permitting. This will be the last flight for the Boeing 757 with Jet2 before it heads to be scrapped.

The Boeing 757 made its debut in the UK on February 9, 1983, when British Airways operated its first commercial service with the type, replacing the Hawker Siddeley Tridents on domestic routes. It was one of the first commercial carriers worldwide to operate the 757, which had just entered service with Eastern Airlines in the U.S. at the start of 1983. British Airways would operate a total of 53 Boeing 757s until their retirement in 2010, many of which were later converted into freighters for DHL (UK).

Designed for medium-range, transcontinental flights, the 757 was known for its efficiency, versatility, and performance. It featured an advanced two-man cockpit with digital displays and was powered by Rolls Royce RB511 engines, allowing it to operate from shorter runways. Its ability to meet stringent noise regulations made it popular with both airlines and passengers. The aircraft could seat up to 235 passengers in a high-density configuration.

Since its production between 1982 and 2004, Boeing built 1,050 757s, with around 210 still flying passengers today. However, many are being retired as they reach advanced ages. In the UK, the 757 accumulated 8.1 million flight hours over 3.1 million flights, carrying 471 million passengers. The aircraft remains in service with airlines like Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Icelandair, though its future in passenger service is uncertain as its fleet ages.

The UK carriers that have operated the Boeing 757 over the years include British Airways, Monarch Airlines, Thomson Airways (now TUI), FlyGlobespan, and Jet2, among others. The end of the 757 era marks a significant chapter in British aviation history, with Jet2’s final flight standing as a symbol of the aircraft’s legacy.

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