Air New Zealand today retired its Boeing 747 fleet.
The carrier's last in-service B747-400 flew from San Francisco to Auckland. Passengers onboard were treated to a champagne breakfast.
The 16-year-old aircraft was ANZ's final jumbo jet to be retired as it looks to modernise its fleet.
ANZ first ordered five B747-200s in 1980, as the aircraft was capable of flying from the carrier’s base in Auckland to Los Angeles non-stop.
The older -200 series was eventually replaced with the newer -400 variant that first began operating the airline's long-haul services in 1989.
However, as ANZ introduced more fuel-efficient aircraft into its fleet, the B747 fleet was gradually retired, with the final flight touching down in Auckland Airport earlier today.
This particular aircraft, registered as ZK-NBV, boasted a total of 67,552 flight hours and 7,284 successful landings.
ANZ this week announced that it will add three weekly services onto its Auckland to Los Angeles route next summer (see news, September 12).
Clement Huang
