When the Boeing 747 came onto the scene in the late 1960s, it would unlock great potential in air travel. Suddenly airlines were able to carry huge numbers of passengers over great (or even short) distances in comfort, and at affordable prices.
The early Boeing 747s are known today as the ‘classics’. This term encompasses the Boeing 747-100, -200B, -300 and SP models.
The 747 was incredibly popular with airlines across Asia and the Far East, many of which were carrying large numbers of passengers between their growing hubs and major airports. The jumbo jet was perfect for this role.
Here are the Asian airlines which flew these classic Boeing 747s
Air China
Kambui, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
747-200B and 747SP
Air India
747-100, 200B, -300
All Nippon Airways
747-100, -200B
CAAC
CAAC 747SP at Gatwick. Photo (c) Martyn Cartledge
747SP, -200B
Cathay Pacific
Photo (c) Alan Edwards
747-200B, -300
China Airlines
Ted Quackenbush (GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html> or GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html>), via Wikimedia Commons
747-100, SP, -200B
Garuda Indonesia
Photo (c) Martyn Cartledge
747-200B
Japan Air Lines
747-100, SP, -200B, -300
Japan Asia Airlines
747-100, -300
Korean Air
747SP, -200B, -300
Malaysia Airlines
747-100, -200B, -300
Mandarin Airlines
747SP
Orient Thai Airlines
747-100, -200B, -300
Philippine Airlines
Pedro Aragão, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons
747-200B
Singapore Airlines
747-200B, -300
Thai Airways International
747-200B, -300
Into the 1990s, airlines across Asia started to introduce the Boeing 747-400 which became a very popular replacement for older models in the region. Nevertheless, the 747 classics soldiered on into the early 2000s.
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