<Tr> <Th> Variants </Th> <Td> Boeing 747SP Boeing 747 - 400 Boeing 747 - 8 Boeing VC - 25 Boeing E-4 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Developed into </Th> <Td> Boeing YAL - 1 Boeing Dreamlifter </Td> </Tr> <P> The Boeing 747 is an American wide - body commercial jet airliner and cargo aircraft, often referred to by its original nickname, "Jumbo Jet". Its distinctive hump upper deck along the forward part of the aircraft has made it one of the most recognizable aircraft, and it was the first wide - body airplane produced . Manufactured by Boeing's Commercial Airplane unit in the United States, the 747 was originally envisioned to have 150 percent greater capacity than the Boeing 707, a common large commercial aircraft of the 1960s . First flown commercially in 1970, the 747 held the passenger capacity record for 37 years . </P> <P> The four - engine 747 uses a double - deck configuration for part of its length and is available in passenger, freighter and other versions . Boeing designed the 747's hump - like upper deck to serve as a first--class lounge or extra seating, and to allow the aircraft to be easily converted to a cargo carrier by removing seats and installing a front cargo door . Boeing expected supersonic airliners--the development of which was announced in the early 1960s--to render the 747 and other subsonic airliners obsolete, while the demand for subsonic cargo aircraft would remain robust well into the future . Though the 747 was expected to become obsolete after 400 were sold, it exceeded critics' expectations with production surpassing 1,000 in 1993 . By July 2018, 1,546 aircraft had been built, with 22 of the 747 - 8 variants remaining on order . As of January 2017, the 747 has been involved in 60 hull losses, resulting in 3,722 fatalities . </P>

When was the boeing 747 first used for commercial service