Rumors On Qantas First B747-400 Debunked

18th Dec 2014

Finally, the rumor mill has to stop grinding.

Rumor has it that the flag carrier's 'vintage' B747-400 VH-OJA will soon retire from service effective this month and will be heading to the museum.

The rumor has been circulating around the social media for quite some time already, prompting netizens from around the country to confirm it with Qantas Founders Museum either through the social media or phone calls.

The rumor has piqued Bob De La Hunty, President of the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), saying that there's not a single truth about it. He dismissed the issue as simply rumor mongering, and claimed that his office and Qantas have not discussed anything about it.

On December 7, Qantas Source published in its website that the Qantas' first B747-400, whose aircraft registration is VH-OJA, will finally perform its swan song this month before heading to the Historical Aircraft Restoration facility in Wollongong as its retirement home.

According to Qantas Source, the aircraft would have its penultimate trans-Pacific flight on December 7 after it left Sydney for Los Angeles. On its return leg, it would make a short stopover at Victorville before flying back to Sydney to complete its flight.

However, it was confirmed later on that the aircraft was still in commercial operation having plied the Los Angeles-New York-Los Angeles leg on December 12. In the Flightaware.com website, the aircraft was scheduled to return to Sydney on December 18 from Los Angeles.

Based on the Airline Hub Buzz website, Qantas is going to present the aircraft as a gift to Australian museum for its historical value as soon as it retires.

Sources from Qantas Founders Museum, however, denied such rumor and admitted on its Facebook page that they received large number of queries about the issue. The museum is already host to the smaller and older variant of the B747 family, the B747-200 with aircraft registration VH-EBQ.

They clarified that there was neither any discussion nor talks with Qantas about retiring its B747-400, nor do they negotiate with Qantas to acquire the retired aircraft.

The Australian Aviation disclosed however, that the airline was planning to donate VH-OJA to Qantas Founders Museum, but the latter declined for lack of space.