There’s fewer and fewer of these giants in the air all the time. However, G-BYGB is one of 37 Boeing 747-400 aircraft still in the British Airways fleet. The pictures in the image gallery below were taken at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) on April 22, 2016.
For full-size, high resolution versions of any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. See below for more detailed information on this specific aircraft, the Boeing 747-400 model in general and the airline.
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G-BYGB
Boeing 747-400
British Airways
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G-BYGB British Airways Boeing 747-400 Image Gallery
G-BYGB
G-BYGB took its first flight on January 9, 1999 and the Boeing 747-436 was delivered to British Airways on January 17, 1999. As mentioned, this is one of 37 747-400 aircraft in the British Airways fleet. The airplane is configured for a total maximum of 299 passengers with 14 seats in first class, 70 in business class, 30 seats in premium economy and 185 more in economy class.
On October 1, 2009, the crew got a scare while on a flight from Mumbai, India to London, England. A half hour after taking off from Mumbai, when the crew received a wheel well fire alert. The Boeing 747 returned to Mumbai and landed safely just over an hour after departure. There was no sign of fire and it was determined that the alert was false.
It got a bit more serious for G-BYGB on March 30, 2011. The Boeing 747 was to make a flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to London, England. The takeoff was rejected at high speed after a loud bang from the left side outer engine which subsequently lost power. It was determined that the engine failed due to a fueling problem.
The flight was put off until March 31. Again, G-BYGB had to reject the takeoff, this time due to a fuel leak. A replacement airplane was brought in to take the passengers on their way.
Boeing 747-400
The first Boeing 747-400 model was introduced in 1989 with Northwest Airlines. Northwest has since merged with Delta Airlines. The first ever Boeing 747 was introduced in 1969 with Pan American World Airways. In total, 694 of the -400 model were produced with the last one delivered in 2009.
The Boeing 747-400 is 71 metres or 232 feet in length with a wingspan of 64 metres or 212 feet. At the tail, the aircraft stands 19 metres or 64 feet in height. The flight range for this aircraft is 13,490 kilometres.
British Airways
British Airways was created in 1974 with the merger of four different British airlines. The airline is headquartered in Waterside, Harmondsworth, England and is a founding member of the OneWorld Alliance, along with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and the defunct Canadian Airlines. BIA merged with Iberia in 2011.
Currently, British Airways has a fleet of 268 aircraft, flying to 183 destinations worldwide. The airline is phasing out their Boeing 747-400 aircraft. On the large end of things, BIA has 12 Airbus A380’s in the fleet. The airplane they have the most of is the Airbus A320-200 with 68.
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