A British Airways Boeing 747-400 has avoided demolition and will get a new life as a film set. The aircraft, with the registration G-CIVW, was flown from Cardiff Airport to Dunsfold Aerodrome in the county of Surrey, internationally known as the location of the Top Gear test track.
After landing, the aircraft dating from 1998 was handed over to the airport. The new owner will give the Boeing a new role as a commercial film set and as a training facility for aviation personnel.
The aircraft, which completed its last commercial flight on March 28th, will retain the current “Chatham Dockyard” British Airways color scheme. The intention is that the 747 will also be opened to visitors in the future.
Due to the Corona crisis, British Airways decided to retire its Boeing 747 fleet years ahead of schedule. Earlier this month, the last aircraft left home base London Heathrow for the final time. Most ex-BA 747s will be scrapped.
The plane that landed in Dunsfold on Thursday is not the only Boeing 747 that can be found there. A 1979 Boeing 747-200 arrived at the airport in 2005 after flying with British Airways, European Aviation Air Charter, and Air Atlanta. That airplane served, among other things, as a ‘prop’ for the James Bond film Casino Royale and regularly featured in Top Gear.