The Boeing 747: An Aircraft That Changed Aviation

Some aircraft are remembered for their technical achievements. Others change an entire industry. The Boeing 747 did both.

When the jumbo jet entered commercial service with Pan American World Airways on 22 January 1970, it marked the beginning of a new era in commercial aviation. It changed the way airlines operated, airports developed and people travelled around the world.

My own connection to the aircraft is more personal. On 6 November 1971, I witnessed the arrival of South African Airways' first Boeing 747 at Jan Smuts International Airport in Johannesburg.

The aircraft, ZS-SAN, named Lebombo, marked a significant milestone for SAA and South African aviation. The arrival of the jumbo jet represented a new era in long-haul operations, with substantially greater passenger capacity and the potential to reduce the cost per seat on busy international routes.

Looking back, it is worth considering just how much this one aircraft changed.

Changing the economics of air travel

Before the 747, long-haul jet travel was largely associated with a relatively expensive form of international transport. The jumbo jet changed the economics by allowing airlines to carry far more passengers on a single flight.

With a typical early configuration accommodating around 400 passengers, the 747 could spread many of the costs of operating a flight across a much larger number of seats. Where demand was sufficient, this reduced the cost per available seat and gave airlines the opportunity to offer more competitive fares.

The aircraft did not make international travel affordable on its own. Competition, economic growth, airline deregulation and subsequent technological advances all played their part. But the 747 accelerated the move towards mass international air travel.

A catalyst for engine development

The 747 also accelerated the development and commercial application of the large high-bypass turbofan engine.

The aircraft needed substantially more thrust than earlier jetliners, but simply producing more power was not enough. Fuel consumption, operating costs and noise were critical considerations.

The Pratt & Whitney JT9D was developed for the original 747, pushing the limits of engine design, materials and reliability. Competing engines followed, including General Electric's CF6 and Rolls-Royce's RB211.

The large turbofan subsequently became the standard powerplant for wide-body commercial aircraft. Later generations of engines would deliver further improvements in fuel efficiency, reliability and maintenance performance.

The relationship between the aircraft and its engines was mutually reinforcing: the 747 demanded more capable engines, while advances in engine technology made large-scale long-haul operations increasingly practical.

The evolution of the flight deck

The 747 also belongs to an important period in the evolution of the commercial flight deck.

Early 747s still required three flight deck crew members: the captain, first officer and flight engineer. The flight engineer monitored and managed many of the aircraft's technical systems, including fuel, electrical power and hydraulics.

As avionics, automation and systems monitoring improved, aircraft manufacturers increasingly designed commercial aircraft around two-pilot operations. The Boeing 757 and 767 were important examples of this transition.

The 747 did not itself eliminate the flight engineer. Rather, it formed part of a period in which aircraft were becoming larger and more complex, while advances in technology were progressively reducing the number of crew members needed to operate them.

It was a substantial change in the way airlines approached flight operations.

Helping to shape the international hub

The jumbo jet also reinforced the development of major international hub airports and hub-and-spoke airline networks.

An aircraft carrying hundreds of passengers needed substantial demand to operate economically. Airlines could improve their prospects by bringing passengers from several origins through a central airport and consolidating them onto high-capacity long-haul flights.

This strengthened the importance of airports such as London Heathrow, New York JFK and Tokyo Narita as international gateways.

The model offered airlines significant commercial advantages. Connecting traffic could support routes that might not have attracted sufficient demand from passengers travelling only between the two cities served by a flight.

The 747 did not invent the hub-and-spoke system, but its capacity reinforced the economics of concentrating passengers at major airports.

It also encouraged investment in larger terminals, aircraft stands, baggage systems and ground-handling facilities.

More than a passenger aircraft

The 747's influence extended into air freight.

Its large payload capacity made it particularly valuable for cargo operations, while the freighter version's hinged nose allowed long or bulky items to be loaded through the front of the aircraft.

Dedicated 747 freighters became important to international logistics, carrying everything from industrial equipment to time-sensitive commercial goods.

The aircraft therefore contributed to the development of both passenger aviation and the global movement of freight.

Why the jumbo jet eventually lost ground

The 747's commercial success depended on its ability to carry large numbers of passengers economically. But that advantage came with a condition: airlines needed sufficient demand to fill the aircraft.

As engine technology improved, twin-engine aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 and A350 became capable of operating many long-haul routes with lower operating costs and greater flexibility.

Airlines could offer more frequent services, serve smaller markets and operate direct routes that might not justify a 747.

This illustrates an important principle in airline commercial management. The aircraft with the greatest capacity is not necessarily the most profitable. The right aircraft is the one that best matches demand, frequency, route characteristics and operating costs.

The 747 helped establish the economics of the very large long-haul aircraft. Later generations of aircraft demonstrated the commercial value of flexibility.

A personal perspective on an aviation landmark

Witnessing the arrival of SAA's first Boeing 747 at Johannesburg on 6 November 1971 remains a personal connection to an important moment in South African aviation history.

The aircraft subsequently became part of the fabric of international aviation. It changed the scale of passenger transport, accelerated engine development, contributed to the evolution of the flight deck, reinforced international hub networks and helped expand the role of air freight.

Its legacy is not simply that it was a very large aircraft. It changed how airlines thought about capacity, costs, networks and the business of carrying passengers around the world.

The 747 was a product of its time, but its influence extended well beyond it. Even as newer and more efficient aircraft have taken over many of its passenger routes, the principles it helped establish continue to shape the airline industry.