former fourth prototype) was popular with passengers and
airlines alike and over the coming months and years it would
both establish and break various distance and speed records.
However, not all was rosy in the world.
The 1970s oil crisis meant the price of jet fuel rocketed and,
combined with US airline deregulation, this began to signal
bad times for the 747SP. Pan Am had previously increased its
initial order of ten aircraft to 25 but with financial problems
plaguing the American flag carrier, it only ended up receiving
the original ten.
Likewise, Qantas only took two aircraft (despite initial
enthusiasm for the project) and the order book began to dry
up, especially as later airliners matched or exceeded the ’SP’s
performance with lower purchase and operating costs.
Operators
Nonetheless, the aircraft did find a niche with a number of
operators and, in many cases, allowed smaller carriers to expand
into the world of widebody jets.
Some, such as Aerolineas Argentinas, Tajik Air and Qatar
Airways operated just a single aircraft but others operated
entire fleets of ’SPs.
Air China used the type on its Pacific routes as well as first
route to USA (Beijing–Seattle). Air China 747SPs also flew
from Beijing to Vancouver and New York and remained in
service until the early 2000s.
South African Airways operated six 747SP aircraft on flights
from Johannesburg to European destinations during the
apartheid years when its aircraft were not allowed to overfly
African countries.
The ’SP’s extra range allowed the aircraft to fly around the
‘Bulge of Africa’ and on April 1, 1977 the airline inaugurated
the first direct 747SP flight between London and Cape Town.
Its last example finally retired in 2006.
In the USA, Trans World Airlines (TWA) operated three
747SPs from 1979 to 1986. They were acquired for long
distance routes to the Middle East but the routes never
materialised and the jets were used instead on night flights
ZS-SPE joined South
African Airways in
1976.The former Braniff
International
Airways N603BN
was purchased back
by Boeing in 1981
and converted into
a VIP transport for
the Royal Flight of
Oman. The aircraft
was re-registered A40-
SO and delivered to
Oman in July 1984.Qantas operated
just two 747SPs –
VH-EAA (illustrated)
and VH-EAB. This
aircraft served the
airline from 1980
until 2002.
TWA operated three
747SPs from 1979
to 1986. They were
acquired to serve long
distance routes to the
Middle East, though
such links failed to
materialise.34 AIRLINER Classics 2018