€240 million ‘Die Hard’ plane could vanish from the skies

Hold onto your seatbelts, because a €240 million plane that can carry up to 600 people at a staggering 660mph could soon disappear completely from the skies. That’s right, we’re talking about one of the most iconic planes of all time, and it might be getting ready to bow out.

The Boeing 747 cargo jet conversion was the getaway plane used by Colonel Stuart and his men in one of the greatest Christmas films to ever grace our screens, Die Hard 2. It has also appeared in a bunch of lesser films. And it’s hard to imagine the world of planes without the iconic 747.

With a price tag of €240 million (around £200 million) and a top speed of 660mph, the 747 was once the queen of the clouds, capable of carrying up to 600 passengers and cruising for nearly 9,000 nautical miles. High operating costs and fuel thirst that makes a dragon look tame have pushed the Queen out of the spotlight.

Boeing officially ceased production of the 747 in 2023 after an amazing 54 years of manufacturing the beast and 1,574 units built. Now, in 2025, only four airlines will still have the 747 in their fleets – Lufthansa, Korean Air, Air China, and Rossiya Airlines.

Korean Air will retire the aircraft from its longest route, Seoul to Atlanta, by March, and replace it with the more efficient Boeing 777-300ER.

However, Lufthansa isn’t having any of this ‘retirement’ talk. No, no. The German airline is giving its 747 a makeover, retrofitting the fleet with upgraded seats to keep the show rolling. And while Korean Air packs away its 747, Lufthansa will take over the longest passenger flight in the game- 7,133 miles (11,479 kilometres) from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires.

And don’t think for a second that the Queen’s completely done. Rossiya Airlines is giving the 747 a second life, using it to haul passengers and cargo to the farthest corners of Russia. Looks like the Queen isn’t quite done yet; she’s just switching gears.

So, is this the end for the 747 aircraft, or will she make a comeback in the world of freight? As passenger flights slow down, it might still have plenty of life left in it. Either way, it will be remembered as one of the greatest aircraft to ever fly. You just can’t take the crown off a queen that easily.

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