Boeing to end 747 production: Here are some key facts and milestones

From the beginning, everything about the plane, known as the "queen of the skies" was big

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Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told staff on Wednesday that Boeing will stop building the iconic jet in 2022.

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On Sept. 30, 1968, the first Boeing 747 rolled out of its custom-built assembly plant in Everett, Washington. From the beginning, everything about the plane once known as the “queen of the skies” was big.

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The 747 had its maiden flight on Feb. 9, 1969, and entered service with Pan American World Airways in January 1970. A British Airways 747 boosted by strong tailwinds broke the subsonic speed record for a transatlantic crossing between New York and London in February, completing the trip in just under five hours, according to Flightradar24.

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Dubbed "the Incredibles", some 50,000 mechanics and engineers built what was then the world's largest civilian airplane in roughly 16 months.

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The current version is the 747-8, a 410-seater with a range of 8,000 nautical miles (14,815 km), launched in 2005.

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After customisation and installation of classified systems, the two aircraft are due to be delivered by December 2024, painted red, white and blue