The last Boeing 747 rolled off the assembly line. It was produced for almost half a century

The last Boeing 747 rolled off the production line at the Everett, Washington plant, the Assiciated Press reports. It has been produced for almost half a century. Atlas Air, which ordered four 747-8 cargo planes earlier this year, will become the owner of the latest Boeing.

The first Boeing 747 rolled off the assembly line in 1969. It was then the largest commercial aircraft in the world and the first aircraft to have two aisles. More than 50,000 employees of the enterprise worked on the release of this first copy for 16 months.

The 747 is still one of the largest aircraft in the world. Due to the second deck, which extends from the cockpit, giving the aircraft a characteristic hump, this model was nicknamed "The Whale". In total, for all the time the company produced 1,573 aircraft that performed various functions: the 747th was a cargo aircraft, a commercial one - it could accommodate almost 500 passengers, and even a presidential board.

Over the past two decades, Boeing and its European competitor Airbus have focused their efforts on producing more economical and profitable wide-body aircraft with two engines instead of four, like the Boeing 747. In the US, this aircraft has not operated a passenger flight for five years, although some international carriers, including German airline Lufthansa continue to use it in this capacity.