Qantas' last Boeing 747 traces carrier's iconic kangaroo logo after taking to sky for its final journey

On Wednesday, Qantas' last Boeing 747 passenger plane took to the skies for the final time and traced a special image with its flightpath: the Australian carrier's iconic kangaroo logo.

Farewell, #Queenoftheskies✈️Today, the last 747 in our fleet, VH-OEJ departed Australia for the final time – adding a special display en roo-te to the US#747farewell pic.twitter.com/KXzNKhxFOH

— Qantas (@Qantas) July 22, 2020

As per a report in Indian Express, the Los Angeles-bound craft, which took off from Sydney Airport, drew the image before leaving the country's airspace.

As per a report in CNN, the plane received a water salute before take-off as citizens gathered at the airport to say goodbye. The aircraft will be stored at a boneyard in the Mojave Desert, as per a Qantas press release.

The airline’s 747s were first brought into operation in Australia in August 1971, the same year that William McMahon became prime minister, the first McDonalds opened in Australia and Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool topped the music charts, the company said in a statement. “Its arrival – and its economics – made international travel possible for millions of people for the first time,” the company further stated, as per the Indian Express report.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the 747 is being replaced with more fuel-efficient crafts with better range such as the 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350, as per CNN. The retirement of the fleet of 747s, slated for this year, was moved up by six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, as per the CNN report.

Joyce was quoted by The Canberra Times as saying: "This aircraft was well ahead of its time and extremely capable. Engineers and cabin crew loved working on them and pilots loved flying them. So did passengers," he said.

"They have carved out a very special place in aviation history and I know they'll be greatly missed by a lot of people."