- The flight to Seoul was scheduled to take off from Detroit yesterday afternoon
- But Delta was unable to fully staff the flight with four pilots so it was cancelled
- The airline said the flight to Seoul had been rescheduled for Monday
- There are no 747s left flying among any US-based airlines
Delta Air Line’s last scheduled Boeing 747 commercial flight was cancelled on Sunday after the company could not find enough pilots to fly it.
The plane was due to fly out from Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 12.31pm (EST) yesterday afternoon for a 14-hour journey to Seoul, South Korea.
The trip was meant to be an iconic moment for Delta and for the 747 which has ferried passengers through the skies for nearly five decades.
Delta Air Line’s last scheduled Boeing 747 commercial flight was cancelled yesterday after the company could not find enough pilots to fly it (stock image)
But Delta was ‘unable to fully staff the flight with its required four pilots’ meaning the journey was postponed.
‘Customers have been given hotel rooms, meals and have been rebooked on an extra flight from Detroit to Seoul-Incheon for Monday morning,’ a statement on the airline’s website said. ‘Delta exhausted all options to prevent the cancellation and apologizes to the customers delayed and inconvenienced.’
The firm added that the flight had been rescheduled for today.
In the statement published on Sunday Delta said: ‘While there was disappointment in today’s cancellation, dozens of Delta customers and employees stopped by a 747 historical display near the McNamara Terminal’s signature fountain to share stories and remembrances of the 747.’
Fans see off a Delta Boeing-747 as it leaves Narita Airport in Japan for Detroit in October
The plane, called Ship 6309, is the last 747-400 to be retired by a US air carrier.
It will be taken on an employee farewell tour to destinations including Seattle, Atlanta, and Minneapolis throughout December before being flown to its retirement place in the Arizona desert next month.
The iconic humped plane is still operated by foreign carriers, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa.