Air China’s Boeing 747 Replaces Boeing 777 On 1-Off London Heathrow Service
Source: Oliver Cabaret, Wikimedia Commons
The UK has exceptionally few Boeing 747 passenger flights. In an unscheduled development, Air China flew B-2482, a 365-seat Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, from Beijing Capital to London Heathrow on 8 June. It replaced the usual 311-seat 777-300ER, providing more first and business class capacity, and 66 premium economy seats. The reason: Chinese officials are visiting the UK capital.
The 10.1-year-old quadjet operated CA937, one of the Star Alliance member’s double daily flights from Beijing to Europe’s busiest airport. Flightradar24 shows that it landed at 17:44 local time. It operated CA938 back to China, departing from Heathrow at 21:23. It is unclear if the 747-8i will be used to collect the Chinese dignitaries for the return trip.
Source: Flightradar24
Air China’s Last Regular 747 Flights To The UK Were 17 Years Ago
The Chinese flag carrier’s quadjets were once a regular occurrence at Heathrow, as they were elsewhere in Europe. However, while the type has operated one-offs in various years, its last regular Heathrow operation was in 2007. While the 747-8i occasionally appeared, flights were usually on the 747-400 and now-retired 747-400 Combi.
In the peak summer, Air China has 37 weekly London flights: 17 to Heathrow and 20 to Gatwick. Having originally served the UK’s second-busiest airport between 2018 and 2020, the carrier returned (with many more flights) in 2023. Now, its London operation consists of four routes:
Beijing Capital to Heathrow: 2 daily 777-300ER
Beijing Capital to Gatwick: 10 weekly A330-300/A350-900
Shanghai Pudong to Gatwick: 10 weekly A350-900
Chengdu Tianfu to Heathrow: 3 weekly A350-900
The UK’s Only Scheduled 747 Passenger Flights Return In July
Image: Alan Wilson, Wikimedia Commons
Korean Air’s 368-seat 747-8i aircraft will resume operating between Seoul Incheon and Heathrow on 25 July. It will primarily do so on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, down from a maximum of a daily service last year. The last scheduled departure is due on 24 October, with no indication, as yet, if the quadjet will return in the winter, as it did last December.