Cathay Pacific Bids Farewell To B747-400

 

Cathay Pacific and its passengers pay tribute to the Boeing 747-400
Flights CX542 and CX543, operating a return service between Hong Kong and Haneda, bring an end to nearly four decades of stellar operations by the ‘Queen of the Skies’ (Cathay Pacific Photo)

Cathay Pacific has been flying the Boeing 747-400 for over 37 years. The Queen of the Skies got a good bye flight between Hong Kong and Haneda on 1 October 2016. Flights CX 542 and CX543 flew on full capacity where passengers including Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club members and aviation enthusiasts from around the world said their last good byes to the Queen of the Skies.

Cathay Pacific Photo

Boarding gate ceremonies were held in Hong Kong an Haneda. Cathay Pacific ambassadors wearing vintage cabin crew uniforms offered glasses of champagne to toast the 747’s remarkable history. Operating crew of the last flights and senior management attended the ceremonies.

Captain John Graham (seventh from left) and Inflight Service Manager Chaivaree Chitrakorn (sixth from left) joined the other operating crew to greet passengers before the flight departed from Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific photo)

Inflight Service Manager Chaivaree Chitrakorn welcomed passengers on board. Chaivaree has an extremely close affinity with the 747, having worked on the aircraft since the early 1980s.

Guests received a special souvenir pack containing a signed flight certificate and exclusively-designed 747-related memorabilia. Both flights were commanded by the airline’s current longest serving 747 pilot Captain John Graham. He gave passengers a detailed overview of the 747’s accomplishments and operations with Cathay Pacific.

The aircraft that performed the last service – B-HUJ is one of Cathay Pacific’s best known 747s. On 6 July 1998, it was the first to land at the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok following a 15 and a half journey from New York. Nicknamed ‘Polar 1’, the flight was also the first to fly a direct route over the North Pole and previously prohibited Russian airspace, setting a new non-stop distance record of 7,465 nautical miles in the process. Cathay Pacific received its first 747 in 1979 and went on to become one of the largest operators of the aircraft.