'Queen of the Skies' Boeing 747 makes final landing at Cotswold airport

  • Watch Eli-Louise Wringe's report


Dozens of aviation enthusiasts watched one of the last British Airway's Boeing 747s reach its final destination at Kemble Airport.

The last two Heathrow-based Boeing 747 aircrafts left the capital this morning.

Nicknamed Queen of the Skies, one landed outside Cirencester while the other headed for an airfield near Cardiff.

18,000 people watched online as the jumbo jets made their final landings. Credit: ITV News West Country

Launched in 1969, the planes were considerably larger than existing airliners, with a capacity of around 550 passengers.

They were known by British Airways as The Queen Of The Skies.

The airline once boasted the world’s largest fleet of the 747-400 model with 31 aircraft.


The two jets made their final descent into Kemble near Cirencester and an airfield near Cardiff Credit: ITV News West Country

People living in Gloucestershire's Cotswold villages got a longer view of the aircraft's final flight as it circled for nearly an hour before landing.

The much-loved jumbo jet will be eventually broken down for spares.

Their retirement has been brought forward several years because of the financial impact of the pandemic on the airline.