Last Asiana Airlines Boeing 747-400 makes final voyage through Taoyuan

Taoyuan, March 25 (CNA) Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport became the final overseas stop for Asiana Airlines' last Boeing 747-400 plane Monday as the South Korean carrier prepares to retire the giant commercial jet known as the Queen of the Skies.

The 747-400, registered as HL7428, touched down in Taiwan at 11:24 a.m. after taking off from Incheon International Airport at 10:15 a.m. (Korea time) and was greeted by firetrucks festively spraying it with jets of water as it taxied its way to Gate D6.

The gate was chosen for its symbolism, having been the same gate where Taiwanese international carrier China Airlines retired its last passenger 747-400 on March 20, 2021.

At 1:34 p.m., HL7428 took off from Taoyuan for its final trip in the skies back to Incheon before it was set to be retired.

The plane's final voyage drew the attention and attendance of many aviation aficionados and fans of the airline, completely selling out.

Speaking to CNA, a Hong Kong-based South Korean passenger said he was taking his mother on the final voyage to remember a trip he took with his parents to the United States 15 years ago on the same plane.

Another traveler who spoke with CNA, a Japanese student currently enrolled in a Taiwanese university, said he bought a ticket to Incheon on the plane out of interest in the model.

All passengers who flew on either leg of the 747-400's final flight were presented with commemorative luggage tags, according to ground crew personnel at the Taoyuan airport.

Most airlines have retired their passenger 747 aircraft because it is less efficient and more costly to operate than newer aircraft.

Asiana Airlines' fleet features mostly Airbus A321s, A330s and A350s, with some Boeing 777-200ER.