Originally Posted by
Wycombe
Just looked a couple up:
G-AWNA 747-136 entered service Apr'70, retired Oct'98
G-AWNF 747-136 built '70 still in service Aug '99.
So near enough 30.
Well OK, close enough for government work.
Though strictly speaking, BOAC didn't put the 747 into revenue service until April 1971 (on LHR-JFK), a year after the delivery of the first aircraft, because of a long-running dispute with BALPA about pay and conditions for flying them.