Air France Boeing 747 fleet history
Air France flew the 747 from 1970, ordered 53 new-build 747s including ten freighters, opened the Roissy-CDG era with the type, and retired its last passenger 747-400 in January 2016.
Air France became the European flag carrier of the 747, ordering 53 new-build examples across seventeen variants and flying the type for 46 years. The 747 was the aircraft that opened the Roissy-CDG era.
Air France introduced the 747-100 in 1970 (sixteen new-build -100s in its order table) and expanded through the -200 including the 747-200M Combi and a large 747-200F freighter force.
The new-build order table runs to 53 aircraft: 16 × 747-100, 2 × 747-200B, 11 × 747-200M, 10 × 747-200F, 7 × 747-400, 5 × 747-400F and 2 × 747-400ERF. With leased and second-hand frames, more than 70 747s served the airline.
Air France and Lufthansa chose the General Electric CF6 for their 747-400s, and Air France’s freighters carried up to about 110 tonnes on main-deck and lower-lobe pallets.
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| 747-100 | European launch fleet, from 1970 |
| 747-200B / -200M / -200F | Passenger, Combi and freighter versions |
| 747-400 / -400F / -400ERF | Later passenger and freighter fleet |
The last Air France passenger 747-400 flight was in January 2016; the freighter fleet was withdrawn later in the decade.
Sources
- Air France from 1970 to 1989 — Air France
- List of Boeing 747 operators — Wikipedia
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the primary and institutional references below.
- Air France from 1970 to 1989 — Air France
- List of Boeing 747 operators — Wikipedia
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