Farewells are never easy. Be it for employees leaving organizations, or companies shutting down their businesses. And these farewells have become quite common, especially after the coronavirus situation. The pandemic has been a major blow to the travel and hospitality sector. Owing to the acute financial crisis, many airlines have laid off employees while some others, including the world’s second-oldest airline Avianca, have filed for bankruptcies. The Australian airline, Qantas too operated its last Boeing 747 flight on July 22 from Sydney Airport to the US and the pilot drew the iconic Kangaroo logo of the airline in the sky.
Qantas’ Last Boeing 747 Draws Kangaroo In The Sky As A Token Of Goodbye
Before leaving the Australian airspace, the pilot of the jumbo jet drew a kangaroo sign on the sky to pay homage to the 50-year-old journey of Boeing 747. Prior to taking off, the plane received a water cannon salute and a big round of applause from the spectators. A nostalgic ceremony also took place with video tributes and poem recitals spanning around the 747s.
Farewell, #Queenoftheskies✈️Today, the last 747 in our fleet, VH-OEJ departed Australia for the final time – adding a special display en roo-te to the US?#747farewell pic.twitter.com/KXzNKhxFOH
— Qantas (@Qantas) July 22, 2020
A tweet shared by Qantas on the logo drawn by the aviator already went viral among the netizens. The post has received around 5.3K retweets and 15.4K likes. A person also commented, ” Such a fitting departure! Bravo! So many great memories of travels on QF B747s…Always full of excitement on the way out of Oz and usually exhausted on the return legs. QF Jumbos opened up the world for so many Aussies! The 747 was part of the adventure.”
Also Read: Tourism & Hospitality Industry Face Major Loss Amidst Covid-19
The 747s Had Begun Operations In 1971
Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland on November 16, 1920. The carrier’s 747 aircrafts had begun operations in August 1971. As per reports, the company has said, “Its arrival and its economics made international travel possible for millions of people for the first time.” The 747s had also rescued around 674 people during the occurrence of Cyclone Tracy in Darwin in 1974. In 2011, the flights had evacuated Australians from Cairo’s political unrest. In 2004, they transported medical supplies to Asia in the wake of the tsunami. Its last rescue mission was to bring back Australians stranded in China’s Wuhan, amid the coronavirus lockdown.
In March, another pilot had drawn a big heart over Reykjavik in Iceland to thank healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients. These initiatives by the aviators are heartwarming indeed! On that note, here’s a salute to the airline crew for evacuating stranded Indians: