IATA 741ICAO B741

Boeing 747-100

Boeing

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The original Jumbo Jet that transformed mass air travel.

First flight

1969

Category

Wide-body jet

Seating

366–452 (typical mixed-class)

Range

9,800 km

Engines

4× Pratt & Whitney JT9D-3A/7A turbofans

Status

Retired

The Boeing 747-100 is the founding variant of the iconic 747 wide-body airliner family, introduced to service in 1970. Its distinctive twin-aisle cabin and upper deck hump made it immediately recognizable, and its sheer size roughly doubled the passenger capacity of previous airliners, dramatically reducing the cost per seat-mile for operators. Developed in the late 1960s at Boeing's Everett facility in Washington State, the 747-100 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D turbofan engines and featured a payload capacity unprecedented in commercial aviation. Pan American World Airways was the launch customer, placing the first order in 1966. The 747-100 entered service with Pan Am on the New York to London route on January 22, 1970. Though highly influential, the variant had a relatively short production run before giving way to improved versions. Most examples have since been retired from passenger service, with a handful surviving in cargo, government, or special-mission roles.

Notable operators

Pan American World Airways was the launch operator; other major early operators included TWA, American Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa, and Japan Air Lines.

Notable facts

›First flew on February 9, 1969, with test pilot Jack Waddell at the controls.
›Pan Am inaugurated commercial service on January 22, 1970, on the New York–London route.
›It was the world's largest commercial airliner for 37 years until the Airbus A380 entered service in 2007.
›The distinctive upper deck hump was originally intended to house a lounge area for first-class passengers.
›A total of 167 747-100s were built before production ended in 1976.

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This profile is provided for general information only. Specifications may be inaccurate or vary by variant/operator — verify with the manufacturer before relying on them.

Encyclopaedia

The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. It was conceived in response to the demand of Pan Am for a jet 2+1⁄2 times the size of the 707, which had been introduced in October 1958, to reduce the airline's seat cost by 30%. The design team was led by Joe Sutter, who left the 737 development program in 1965 to design the 747. In April 1966, Pan Am ordered 25 Boeing 747-100 aircraft, and in late 1966, Pratt & Whitney agreed to develop the JT9D engine, a high-bypass turbofan. On September 30, 1968, the first 747 was rolled out of the purpose-built Everett Plant, the world's largest building by volume. The 747's first flight took place on February 9, 1969, and the 747 was certified in December 1969. It entered service with Pan Am on January 22, 1970. The 747 was the first airplane called a "Jumbo Jet" as the first wide-body airliner.

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