Pan Am operated the first scheduled Boeing 747 passenger flight on January 22, 1970.
The flight traveled from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport. It used a Boeing 747-100 named Clipper Victor, although a technical problem delayed the originally planned departure and required a replacement aircraft.
Pan Am had played a major role in bringing the 747 into commercial service. The airline was one of Boeing’s most important launch customers and helped define the aircraft’s early long-haul role. The 747’s wide fuselage and two passenger decks allowed airlines to carry far more travelers than earlier jetliners.
The aircraft became an aviation icon and remained in passenger service with airlines around the world for decades. Pan Am itself ceased operations in 1991. The first 747 passenger service is sometimes confused with the aircraft’s first test or promotional flights, which occurred before regular airline service began.