Quick Scoop: What Happened to Qantas’ 747?

Qantas has completely retired its Boeing 747 “Queen of the Skies” fleet, with the final aircraft leaving passenger service in 2020 and most airframes either scrapped, stored in the desert, converted for cargo, or preserved in museums.

End of an Era: The Final Flights

  • Qantas’ last Boeing 747-400, registration VH-OEJ, operated the airline’s final jumbo flight out of Australia in July 2020, marking the end of nearly 50 years of 747 operations for the carrier.
  • That farewell flight, QF7474, departed Sydney, overflew symbolic locations (including an aviation museum), and then headed across the Pacific before continuing on to its long‑term parking and eventual retirement in the United States.
  • The retirement was originally planned for a bit later in the 2020s, but the collapse in international travel during the COVID‑19 pandemic pushed Qantas to bring the date forward and accelerate the phase‑out of the type.

In forum-style discussions and aviation blogs, many fans describe that last kangaroo‑tailed 747 departure as a “funeral flight in broad daylight,” with equal parts pride and heartbreak.

Why Qantas Retired the 747

  • COVID shock: When international demand collapsed in early 2020, Qantas grounded most long‑haul aircraft and decided the expensive, four‑engine 747s were no longer viable to keep around, even as backups.
  • Fuel and efficiency: Newer twin‑engine jets like the Boeing 787 and upcoming Airbus A350 burn far less fuel per seat, are cheaper to maintain, and fit modern route planning better than the older 747s.
  • Fleet renewal strategy: Qantas has been steadily moving toward a fleet of efficient, long‑range twins to support projects like “Project Sunrise” (ultra‑long‑haul flights from Australia’s east coast to destinations such as London and New York), which will be flown by specially configured Airbus A350-1000 aircraft rather than 747s.

Where the Qantas 747s Went

Not all jumbos share the same fate. Aviation sites have tracked most of them:

  • Desert storage and scrapping: Several retired Qantas 747s were flown to long‑term storage sites such as the Mojave Desert in California, where many have been or will be parted out and scrapped over time.
  • New lives as freighters: At least one of the most famous Qantas 747s, VH‑OEJ, was sold to a US leasing company and delivered to cargo operator Kalitta Air, re‑registered as N329ZA, indicating a second career as a freighter after its Qantas farewell.
  • Museums and preservation: Earlier 747s, including the first Qantas 747-400 VH‑OJA, have been preserved at aviation museums in Australia, where visitors can still walk on board and see the aircraft that once symbolized long‑haul travel for many Australians.

A typical “what happened to them” breakdown in enthusiast communities looks like this:

[4][5] [5] [6][2]
Outcome Details
Stored / scrapped Most of the fleet ended up in storage facilities (e.g., Mojave), with airframes gradually dismantled for parts and recycling.
Converted to cargo A select few, including the last-delivered VH‑OEJ (now N329ZA), have transitioned to cargo operations with other operators.
Museum pieces Some historically important jets, such as VH‑OJA, are preserved in museums as static displays.

Legacy and Fan Reactions

  • For nearly five decades, the 747 was central to Qantas’ long‑haul identity, helping open up routes and making overseas travel more accessible to Australians.
  • The aircraft carried everyone from “Pope to pop stars,” as Qantas crew and captains have put it, and was often deployed on rescue and repatriation missions when Australians needed to be brought home from crises overseas.
  • Aviation forums and social media posts around the 2020 farewell are full of stories from passengers, crew, and photographers who grew up watching the “Queen of the Skies” in Qantas colors, many calling the day of its retirement “the end of an era.”

TL;DR

Qantas doesn’t fly the 747 anymore—the airline’s last jumbo left passenger service in 2020 as part of a COVID‑accelerated fleet renewal, with most aircraft now stored, scrapped, flown as freighters, or preserved in museums.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.