On 11 December 2020, the very last British Airways flight of its iconic 747 (‘Queen of the Skies’) made its final journey to its new home, and resting place, at eCube Solutions in the Vale of Glamorgan. Wrapped in the BOAC retro ‘Gold Speedbird’ livery to mark British Airways’ centenary in 2019, the 747, registration G-BYGC, took to the air for the final time from British Airways’ engineering base at Cardiff Airport.
The aircraft flew around the scenic Welsh coast before landing at the commercial airfield at Bro Tathan, the Welsh Government’s 1,200 acres business park in the Vale of Glamorgan where it will be managed by eCube Solutions, an aircraft disassembly and end-of-life services provider.
Its last passenger flight was from San Francisco to Heathrow on 4 April 2020; the retirement of the British Airways 747 fleet was brought forward several years as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.