Air New Zealand will be retiring their last Boeing 747-400 aircraft this September, with a special one-off flight planned.

The airline has operated various modes of the Jumbo Jet since it was first introduced to the fleet in 1981. It allowed the airline to introduce services to London, and pioneered its flagship route to the UK via Los Angeles (and later via Hong Kong). These services are now flown by more modern Boeing 777 aircraft.

The final 747 service is expected to be on 10th September 2014 from San Francisco to Auckland.

However, on 6th September a special one-off service from Auckland to Sydney will be flown.