Boeing To Deliver 1500th 747

Boeing is set to deliver its 1,500th 747, with the milestone customer being Lufthansa. The carrier will take delivery on Saturday.

But it may also be a milestone that highlights the iconic plane’s twilight years.

Boeing is building just 1.5 of the jumbo jets a month as demand for the large, and ultimately more expensive, aircraft has dwindled.

Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia said in the report that he doubts the 747 remains in production beyond the next decade, though he also admits he is a fan of the aircraft and would “love to be proven wrong.”

However long production does continue, it will mean work for Spirit AeroSystems Inc in Wichita, which builds the forward cab and other components on the 747.