Final destination: record-setting Qantas jumbo donated to Illawarra aviation museum

The first 747-400 to be acquired by Qantas will soon be retired to the sunny New South Wales south coast and preserved for public display. 

With the registration number VH-OJA, the aircraft named the ‘City of Canberra’ captured the world’s attention after completing the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney in August 1989.

With a skeleton crew and minimal cargo, the aircraft completed the unprecedented 18,000km journey in just twenty hours and nine minutes, a record that still stands today.

In contrast, the last flight of the record-setting jumbo will be much shorter, taking just ten minutes to travel from Sydney International Airport to Illawarra Regional Airport.

VH-OJA will become the first 747-400 in the world to be preserved for public display, and will likely become a local tourist attraction on the south coast.

The President of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society said that HARS “is delighted to be part of preserving a remarkable piece of modern aviation history.”

“We expect it to attract lots of attention together with our Lockheed Super Constellation, both of which were integral in building Qantas’ international reputation.”

With a runway length of just over 1800 metres, the flight crew on board will have a tougher time than usual bringing the behemoth aircraft to a final stop at Illawarra Regional Airport.

In a statement, Qantas said that the pilots operating the final flight will be undergoing flight simulator training in the lead-up to the landing at Illawarra Regional Airport, and that discussions are already underway with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to get approval for the first 747-400 arrival at the regional airport.

The exact date of delivery is currently unknown, however the official handover will take place on March 15. 

While the runway will be just long enough to land the ‘City of Canberra’, the regional aerodrome will certainly be the aircraft’s final destination, as the runway is too short for take-off.

But rather than being left to rot in the aircraft boneyards of the United States, the world-famous 747-400 will be preserved for many years to come, a fantastic boon for south coast tourism and a fitting finale for Australia’s first ‘Queen of the Skies’.