The history of Iberia's Boeing 747, the largest aircraft of a Spanish operator

@DefAviation ES 3·21·2024 · 20:39 0

In 1969, Boeing presented an airplane that was destined to make history: the 747, nicknamed "Jumbo" for its large size.

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This plane, designed for long-haul flights, could carry up to 550 passengers distributed over two floors. Its fuselage measured 70.66 meters long and its wings had a span of 59.64 meters. Its maximum takeoff weight was 333.4 tons. The Spanish airline Iberia was one of the first operators of this aircraft, receiving the first in 1970, a year after its official presentation. That plane, the EC-BRO, was baptized "Cervantes." The entire fleet of 25 Iberia Boeing 747s bore the names of famous writers.

The Boeing 747 was the largest aircraft that has flown with a Spanish operator, both civil and military, since no Spanish airline ever flew with the Airbus A380. Iberia operated its Jumbos between 1970 and 2006. Iberia used two other Boeing aircraft in its fleet: the 727 (Iberia became the largest European operator of this aircraft, with 37 units) and the 757 (a total of 30 units). Currently, the Spanish airline only operates Airbus aircraft.

This Thursday, the YouTube channel Fly By Wire Aviation (I recommend you subscribe, is publishing very interesting and very well-documented content) has published a video reviewing the history of the Jumbos and also the Iberia 727, compiling historical images of these two aircraft that occupy a prominent place in the history of Spanish aviation (the video is in Spanish, you can activate the automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):

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Main photo: Ken Rose. The EC-BRO, Iberia's first Boeing 747.