Boeing 747-357

Boeing 747-357
Boeing 747-357
	Air France 747-300
General information
Type	Airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Boeing Airspace Company
Primary users	SwissAir (historical) Saudia (historical) Phillipines (historical)
Number built	81
History
First flight	March 19th, 1983, With Swissair
Initiated	1983, With Swissair
In service	0
Last flight	June 30th, 2011
Outcome	Retired
Developed from	747-300
Developed into	747-400
Preserved at	Not Preserved
Fate	Scrapped or Stored
Successors	747-400

The Boeing 747-357 is a stretched variant of the long-range Wide-body Boeing 747-300 aircraft produced and designed by Boeing in the United States from 1983 to 2000. It was introduced as a larger and longer 747-300 airframe, to replace aging 747-200 aircraft. The aircraft first took flight with Swissair on September 12th, 1983. The stretched airframe was created for airlines looking for a Wide-body with an increased amount of seating. The last 747-357 was made on June 30th, 1999. It was soon replaced by the newer, more advanced 747-400 aircraft. Most Boeing 747-357 aircraft have either been scrapped or destroyed by it's former users. With just 81 ever built, it was one of the least successful Boeing 747 variants ever, Behind the Boeing 747SP Project.

The Boeing 747-357 was originally made for longer, more high-demand flights that the smaller 747-300 didn't have the capacity for. But airlines that were looking to replace their aging 747-100 and -200 models were looking for more range, not capacity. This made the 747-357 an unneeded aircraft, Thus why they overlooked the -357 and it's expanded cabin space. All 81 aircraft are currently either destroyed or in storage.

More Information

The Boeing 747-357 had a capacity of between 252 and 375 seats. The wingspan of the -357 was 59.6 meters, and it had a length of 70.6 meters. The 747-357 was the first Wide-body aircraft to be a stretched variant of another Wide-body aircraft. The -357 was launched in 1983 with the swiss airline Swissair, as a replacement for the airline's dated -200 models. Swissair went on to operate 14 more of the type, before eventually retiring it in 1999. Saudia Air Was the second customer, buying it's first -357 in June, 1989. they operated 3 of the type between 1989 and 2001. Philippine Airlines bought their first -357 on April 15th, 1991. The airline operated 6 of the type between 1991 and 2010, the last customer to retire the -357.

The Boeing 747-357 Project was officially declared over on March 24th, 1998. Boeing had already started the much more successful Boeing 747-400 Project in 1989, 10 years before they halted production. The Boeing 747-400 Project had historically proved much more successful than the -357 had, so Boeing ultimately ceased -357 production in 1999.