Former British Airways Boeing 747s Heading To Rossiya Airlines

Seven of British Airways’ retired Boeing 747s are heading to Russia. As most people know by now, the airline is retiring its entire fleet of 747s, but not all of them are heading to the scrapyard. Seven will are going to be delivered to Rossiya Airlines within the next two months. By taking the seven 747-400s, the Russian carrier will have a total of 16 747-400s in its fleet. British Airways’ old 747s were too good of a deal to pass on.

Many aviation enthusiasts were devastated to learn recently that British Airways would be phasing out its stalwart Boeing 747s. However, there’s no need to panic; at least seven aircraft are heading to Russia and will fly again.

According to Planespotters.net, Rossiya Airlines is set to take delivery of G-BYGA, G-BYGB, G-BYGC, G-BYGD, G-BYGE, G-BYGF & G-BYGG during October and November. The seven aircraft will join Rossiya’s existing fleet of nine 747-400s, which initially came from Transaero Airlines.

Currently, Rossiya is using its 747s to fly domestic routes across Russia as well as flights to Antalya, Turkey. However, the airline plans to use its 747s on new routes to Thailand. So, you may see the old British Airways 747s in Phuket.

Currently, the airline has 54 aircraft, all of which are either Airbus or Boeing. But the airline is hoping to grow its fleet to include aircraft from Russian manufacturers. The new fleet will include the MC-21 in place of Boeing’s 737 MAX. Apparently, the airline hopes to increase its fleet by as many as 250 aircraft.

British Airways announced earlier this year that it would be retiring its entire fleet of 747s after half a century of service. The airline had planned to retire its 747 fleet by 2024. However, it brought this forward as financial pressures mean the planes are no longer an efficient option. Now, the airline expects to make its final retirement by January 2021.

Like many airlines who have already retired their 747s, the quadjet aircraft will likely be replaced with the more fuel-efficient twinjet. However, it’s unlikely they will be replaced immediately. British Airways does not expect to see the industry recover from the current situation for several years, meaning that for now, the Queen will not be usurped.

Atlas Air, Cargolux, UPS Airlines, Kalitta Air and many other Asian carriers all have 747s in their fleet, and they probably won’t retire for several years.