In photos: Boeing’s Jumbo turns 50

A Boeing 747 aircraft which serves as Air Force One at the Zurich airport, Switzerland, on 25 January 2018. Boeing went on to sell 1,568 of the aircraft as it was redesigned and updated over the decades. Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

1/10A Boeing 747 aircraft which serves as Air Force One at the Zurich airport, Switzerland, on 25 January 2018. Boeing went on to sell 1,568 of the aircraft as it was redesigned and updated over the decades. Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

The nose of a Boeing 747-8 cargo plane. The fuselage of the airplane was 225 feet long and the tail was six-stories high. The cargo hold had room for 3,400 pieces of baggage and could be unloaded in seven minutes. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

2/10The nose of a Boeing 747-8 cargo plane. The fuselage of the airplane was 225 feet long and the tail was six-stories high. The cargo hold had room for 3,400 pieces of baggage and could be unloaded in seven minutes. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

3/10The Boeing 747’s twin-aisle design was a novelty when launched but is now a standard in long-haul jets. Photo: Martin Leissl/Bloomberg

Boeing 747-8 cargo planes sit on the production floor during final assembly in Everett, Washington. When launched, the plane’s total wing area is larger than a basketball court, while the entire global navigation system weighed less than a modern laptop. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

4/10Boeing 747-8 cargo planes sit on the production floor during final assembly in Everett, Washington. When launched, the plane’s total wing area is larger than a basketball court, while the entire global navigation system weighed less than a modern laptop. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

$A Cargolux Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. The death of the 747 as a passenger jet has opened up opportunities for cargo carriers keen to snap up used long-range jets at a fraction of their list price. Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters$

5/10A Cargolux Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. The death of the 747 as a passenger jet has opened up opportunities for cargo carriers keen to snap up used long-range jets at a fraction of their list price. Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

A view of the cockpit inside a Boeing 747 set to be dismantled. As for the retired 747s not lucky enough to be reborn as cargo carriers, the graveyard beckons. Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

6/10A view of the cockpit inside a Boeing 747 set to be dismantled. As for the retired 747s not lucky enough to be reborn as cargo carriers, the graveyard beckons. Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

Control levers are seen in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 set to be dismantled in the recycling yard of Air Salvage International (ASI) in Kemble, central England. Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

7/10Control levers are seen in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 set to be dismantled in the recycling yard of Air Salvage International (ASI) in Kemble, central England. Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

8/10Boeing jumbos has more than doubled, from 442 in 2010 to 890 this year.

9/10The insides of a Boeing 747.

The 747 shrank the globe, introduced concepts and technologies that forever changed long-distance travel, from twin aisles to inflight entertainment.

10/10The 747 shrank the globe, introduced concepts and technologies that forever changed long-distance travel, from twin aisles to inflight entertainment.

In photos: Boeing’s Jumbo turns 50

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