British Airways bids farewell to one of the most iconic aircraft in its fleet, the Boeing 767. The airline’s final two 767s are being retired to St Athan in Wales after the last commercial flight – Larnaca in Cyprus to Heathrow – took place on Sunday.
Since British Airways operated its first 767 in February 1990 on a short hop to Paris, the fleet of aircraft have completed over 425,000 commercial flights. Frankfurt was the route where enthusiasts could spot the 767 most frequently, with the aircraft completing nearly 15,000 flights to and from the airport, but the aircraft has also been used to serve routes from Abu Dhabi, to Calgary and New York. While it was initially used for long-haul, in recent years it has been reconfigured for use on short-haul, including to Athens and Larnaca as well as on some domestic routes.
The Boeing 767 is a popular aircraft used by many carriers throughout the world as the aircraft offered the range to fly further distances as well as carry additional passengers and cargo. In the United States, American Airlines, Delta, and United all use the Boeing 767 on numerous domestic and international routes. But, just like their British Airways counterparts, the days are becoming shorter and shorter to see this aircraft flying as newer aircraft such as the Boeing 787 fill the same needs at a overall lower cost.
On the 767 retirement, British Airways Director of Flight Operations, Captain Al Bridger, said: “The 767 has been a brilliant part of our fleet, flying some of our most popular routes and giving customers what was an industry-leading service in its time.”
The final 767 commercial flight took place on aircraft reg G-BZHA. This aircraft first flew in 1998 and has flown an estimated 23 million miles. It has visited Larnaca 900 times in its life, but its most popular route is actually to Athens, where it’s completed 1,275 round trips. It is estimated that this aircraft has carried around 4 million customers across nearly 23,000 flights.
Images: Aero Icarus/Flickr
