Air India’s last Boeing 747 bows out in style with impressive maneuver

Indian airline Air India bid farewell to one of its last remaining Boeing 747 planes with an apt maneuver.

Dubbed the ‘Queen’ of the skies in India, the remaining 747s flew out of Mumbai International Airport on 22 April.

This video captured by a watcher shows the pilot performing a ‘wing wave’ as a gesture of saying goodbye.

READ MORE: Retiring Airbus A380 pilot performs breathtaking maneuver on final flight full of passengers

Pilots often perform a wing wave or a wing salute when either a pilot, a plane, or an airline is about to retire.

It’s a way to show respect for their service, if you will.

Only recently, we saw another 747 performing a wing wave that was very close to the ground.

Now, that’s certainly a breathtaking sight to witness.

The Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747 have been the most prominent airplanes in commercial fleets for a few decades now.

Similarly, both of these are quite popular among airplane enthusiasts, and many of them caught these planes performing such maneuvers in the past.

This specific Boeing 747-400 is one of the four 747s in Air India’s entire fleet.

All four of them recently found a new owner who will scrap them for parts.

Now, that’s a sad story right there.

The 747 had a great run worldwide, building a strong legacy for its name.

Boeing even started its world’s largest factory — the Boeing Mega Factory — to build the initial 747s.

Air India’s Chief Technical Officer shared photos on the social media platform X, showcasing the ‘Queen’ 747 and the team behind its final take-off.

Moreover, several aviation enthusiasts posted more videos of this wing wave.

In one of the posts, a crew member, Caleb Jay, said: “I’m the one who will be fueling the plane while it arrives at KPAE, but it will not be scrapped here!

“It’s stopping for fuel and will most likely continue to Mojave to be scrapped.

“I’m honored to get to see the final takeoff.”