The 747 was one of the most important milestones in the history of commercial jetliners. It was the first widebody aircraft to enter commercial service and is still the world’s largest airliner. Compared to the Boeing 707, which it replaced on many routes, the 747 was a by far more efficient aircraft.
On April 13th 1968, Juan Trippe signed a contract for 25 747s which was worth 525 Million US$. This was by then the largest order for a commercial aircraft and still yet the project was a huge risk. The development costs for the 747 were so high that it was said that the whole company was in danger. But with the signal set by Pan Am, many other airlines also placed some orders. Many of them ordered them to expand capacities, many more as a prestige object. Later, some of the latter mentioned airlines replaced the 747 by smaller aircraft. Finally, the 747 emerged as one of the most successful jets ever built and fortified Boeing’s position as market leader.

KLM Boeing 747-306 (SCD) Combi in Aruba in August 1997

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