747s changed everything for SIA. A new aircraft type needed now

The Boeing 747 jets were the workhorses that launched a fledgling airline’s dream to become a global player in passenger air travel. The question is whether another model can do that in a carbon-conscious world.

- Mike Yeo

Aviation enthusiasts of a certain age in Singapore will remember the Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 for its moniker - "Big Top", "Megatop" and "Mega Ark". The rest of the world though referred to the plane simply as the "jumbo".

The 747, with its distinctive hump housing the flight deck and the first class suites, ushered in a new era in air travel. It was the first wide-body, twin-aisle commercial passenger jet to enter service.

It revolutionised the world of engineering. It realised a vision where ordinary salarymen could dream of taking families around the world.

Production of the "Queen of the Skies" though has ended, as modern technology has led to more fuel-efficient, twin-engined jets which are just as reliable as the four-engined 747.

At last count, Boeing had built 1,574 of the big jets. The last one, a 747-8 freighter destined for cargo airline Atlas Air, was delivered on Tuesday from the manufacturer's sprawling Seattle factory.

A GAME CHANGER FOR SINGAPORE AIRLINES

The 747 changed the aviation game in opening up long-haul air travel to a growing middle class around the world, quickening business deals and expanding people-to-people connections.

Our ability to book a flight today without much thought and get on a plane without worry and at reasonable prices owes many thanks to the 747 and its design ethos of maximising fuel efficiency for flights shuttling 400 to 500 people.

Among the most significant outcomes of the improved 747 models was that it made it possible to fly non-stop from Europe to South-east Asia and vice versa.

Direct flights from Singapore to London were now possible without the need for a fuel stop in the Middle East.