The Queen Of The Skies Is Leaving That Paradise...

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flew the Boeing 747-400 to Princess Juliana International Airport, Sint Maarten since the 1990s. The Boeing 747-400 of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is known as the largest aircraft to fly to that airport on a tropical island. The Princess Juliana International Airport is known as its "low landing approach" over Maho Beach. When you visit the Maho Beach, an aircraft that going to land on Princess Juliana International Airport's runway will be only some feet over your head! KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has a program on its YouTube channel named "KLM Cockpit Tales." One of its episodes is "Big Plane, Short Runway" is talking about how to land a Boeing 747-400 on a short runway like the one that Sint Maarten has. For plane spotters, Princess Juliana International Airport is a paradise...

The last Boeing 747 landing on Princess Juliana International Airport’s runway

But, the Queen of the Skies’ story on Sint Maarten’s runway will come to the end...

On October 30, 2016, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operated the last ever Boeing 747 flight to Sint Maarten. The flight was landed at Sint Maarten as flight KL785 before it leaves for Curacao with the same flight number. The replacement aircraft for the Sint Maarten route is the smaller Airbus A330-200 with only 243 seats instead of 408 seats like on the Boeing 747-400. KLM Considered the Airbus A330-200 is more efficient than the Boeing 747-400. With the Boeing 747 gone from Sint Maarten, there is no more chance for plane spotters to spot this jumbo again at Sint Maarten. But, hopefully, the queen of the skies will return to Sint Maarten, so people on the beach could hear the amazing sound of the four jet engines of the Boeing 747, for a longer time.

The Return of Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 747-400

9M-MPP, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747-400 that painted in Retro Livery

Malaysia Airlines, the national airline of Malaysia announced if they would return one of its stored Boeing 747-400, 9M-MPP (nose name: "Putrajaya") into the services. Malaysia Airlines was retiring all of its Boeing 747-400 aircraft in 2013, but Malaysia Airlines will operate the Boeing 747-400 due to its Airbus A380-800 aircrafts is undergoing heavy maintenance. 9M-MPP is now painted in Retro Livery. Finally, after gone from Malaysia Airlines since 2013, the queen of the skies is coming back to her throne, in Malaysia Airlines. The Boeing 747-400 will fly for Malaysia Airlines again, at least for a little while longer.