How many 747s are still flying?

A question that arrives by email more than any other, so here is the answer with a date attached to it.

As of the third quarter of 2025:

Still configured for passengers	~85
Active in cargo, charter or government service	~300

Out of 1,574 built between 1968 and January 2023.

The ratio is the story

Roughly three and a half working non-passenger 747s for every passenger one. That imbalance is not incidental — it is the whole explanation of the aircraft’s last two decades.

A passenger 747 is retired when its fuel burn per seat stops competing with a twin, which can happen while the airframe is in excellent condition. A freighter is retired when it runs out of cycles or the next heavy check costs more than the aircraft is worth. Those are completely different clocks.

Hence: passenger production effectively stopped in 2005, and the line stayed open on freighter orders until 2023.

Where they are

Passengers: four airlines fly scheduled 747 services — Lufthansa, Air China, Korean Air and Rossiya.

Freight: Atlas Air operates the largest 747 fleet in the world, followed by UPS, Cargolux, Kalitta and Cathay Cargo.

Government: a dozen states fly them as head-of-state transport, and two more are being converted into the next Air Force One.

Odder jobs: engine testbeds, and one launching hypersonic vehicles.

How long will they last?

The 747-8Fs delivered into the early 2020s are young by freighter standards and have decades of work ahead. A reasonable expectation is 747 freight operations well into the 2040s, long after the last passenger example has gone.

Related

• Airlines — every major operator and retirement date
• Where the 747s went
• The 747 in 2026