Atlas Air's N850GT

Atlas Air's N850GT (c/n 37570, l/n 1455) is en route to HNL from ADW, via FFO [Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH] as VENUS03. It will park at HIK. This 747-8F is performing training flights for US Air Force pilots who will be flying the VC-25B and the E-4C.

07 January 2026 UPDATE

VENUS03 flew down to KOA and ITO with multiple landings, before returning to HIK.

08 January 2026 UPDATE

VENUS03 departed for KOA, then returned to ADW today.

Korean Air's HL7638

Korean Air is substituting their 747-8i from today to Monday on KAL53/54. The newly repainted HL7638 (c/n 60408, l/n 1531) is making today's service between ICN and HNL.

UPS Airlines' N635UP

One of two former Qatar Airways 747-8Fs acquired by UPS Airlines, N635UP (c/n 61399, l/n 1535, f/n 635), is making a stop at HNL today. This 747-83QF, still wearing the base livery of Qatar Airways, is flying from SDF as UPS32, and will depart later this morning for SYD as UPS34.

The other 747-8F acquired from Qatar Airways is, N634UP (c/n 37564, l/n 1437, f/n 634), was inducted into service still wearing the base grey Qatar Airways livery as well.

61399's History:

Sep 2017: Delivered to Qatar Airways as A7-BGB.

Mar 2024: Withdrawn from service, purchased by UPS Airlines, and ferried to VCV for storage.

Sep 2024: Inducted into service.

Korean Air's Last 747 Service To HNL

Korean Air flew its last 747-8 service between ICN and HNL today. HL7636 (c/n 60407, l/n 1527) made the final flights today. The airline decided to have their 777-3B5ERs to take over the ICN-HNL service. Korean Air's 787-9s are scheduled to take the KAL053/054 service some time in the fall.

Since the airline sold five 747-8s to Sierra Nevada that will become the E-4s, Korean Air decided to allocate the remaining 747-8s to other routes.

This 2019 photo was our most recent of HL7636.

With today's flights, this marks the end of scheduled passenger 747 flights to/from HNL.

Atlas Air's N862GT

The second-to-last 747 produced, N862GT "Inspire." (c/n 67149, l/n 1573, f/n 862), is making its first stop at HNL. Atlas Air's 747-8F logo jet for freight forwarder Kuehne & Nagel is arriving from LAX as GTI8173, and will continue onto ICN as GTI9174.

Republic of Korea Air Force's 22-001

The Republic of Korea Air Force's [ROKAF] 747-8i, 22-001 (c/n 60410, l/n 1538), is making a stop at HIK, as President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee are visiting O‘ahu. President Yoon will meet with the US Indo-Pacific Command, before continuing onto Washington, DC for further meetings.

Further information in this Kores Joongong Daily article.

60410's History:

May 2017: Delivered to Korean Air as HL7463.

Feb 2021: Withdrawn from service.

Mar 2021: Ferried to HAM for VIP cabin conversion.

Dec 2021: Acquired by the Government of South Korea, to be operated by the ROKAF as the presidential transport.

Jun 2022: Re-registered as 22-001.

Silk Way West Airlines' VQ-BVB

Silk Way West Airlines' 747-83QF, VQ-BBH (c/n 44444, l/n 1493), is making a brief fuel stop at HNL from MEL as AZG3885, and will continue onto LCK.

Silk Way West Airlines' VQ-BBH

Silk Way West Airlines' 747-8F, VQ-BBH (c/n 62708, l/n 1530), is making a brief pre-dawn fuel stop at HNL from MEL as AZG6885, and will continue onto LAX.

Silk Way West Airlines' VQ-BBH

Silk Way West Airlines' VQ-BBH (c/n 62708, l/n 1530) is making a brief fuel stop from ORD as AZG4033. This 747-83QF is continuing onto BNE.

SilkWay West Airlines' VQ-BVC

Silk Way West Airlines' VQ-BVC (c/n 44937, l/n 1496) is making a brief fuel stop at HNL, from ORD as AZG5862, and will continue onto BNE.

Silkway West Airlines' VQ-BVB

A Silkway West Airlines 747-8F, VQ-BVB (c/n 44444, l/n 1493), is making at fuel stop at HNL, as it flies from GYD to MEL, via ORD and HNL as AZG5982.

04 Dec 2021 UPDATE

VQ-BVB made another stop from ORD, and continued onto MEL the next day.

Atlas Air Upgrades To 747-8Fs

For their Qantas Freight wet-lease, Atlas Air is upgrading from its 747-400Fs to 747-8Fs, beginning today. The flights will continue to use HNL as a fuel stop as it flies from the US mainland to Australia.

Atlas Air To Upgrade QantasFreight To 747-8Fs

Beginning in late July, Atlas Air will upgauge their QantasFreight ACMI agreement from the 747-400F to the 747-8F. Currently, there are two 747-400Fs assigned to QantasFreight, that uses the QFA flight code, but remains in the Atlas livery. The same is expected to happen with the change to the two 747-8Fs.

50 Years!

Today, the Boeing 747 celebrates its 50th anniversary of its first flight!

HNL has seen practically every variant of the "Queen of the Skies", with Pan American and United serving with the -100, to Korean Air and UPS with the 747-8.

Happy 50th Birthday 747!

Fifty years ago today, Boeing Commercial Airplanes rolled out the first 747-100 at Boeing's Everett, WA assembly plant, in front of its employees, airline representatives, dignitaries, and the media.

The initial 747-100 service to HNL, began with Pan American World Airways and United Airlines. Over the course of this past half-century, HNL has seen all the 747's variants transit through. Here are a list of airlines who used the 747 to serve HNL (and KOA):

Pan American World Airways

United Airlines

Trans World Airlines

Continental Airlines

The Hawaii Express

Braniff International Airlines

America West Airlines

American Airlines

Northwest Airlines

Delta Air Lines

World Airways (1st)

Kalitta Air * [as Pacific Air Cargo]

UPS Airlines *

FedEx

Atlas Air * [as Qantas Cargo]

Polar Air Cargo *

Transamerica Airlines [also as Trans International Airlines]

Flying Tigers Airlines

Evergreen International Airlines

Southern Air

Canadian Pacific Air (CP Air)

Wardair Canada

Qantas Airways * [seasonal]

Air New Zealand

Japan Airlines

All Nippon Airways

China Airlines

Air Siam

Korean Air * [seasonal]

Singapore Airlines

* Airlines currently 747s servicing HNL.

Military and government 747s:

US Air Force

Japan Air Self-Defense Force

Republic of Korea Air Force
People's Republic of China [in Air China livery]

Qatar Amiri Flight * [VIP charter]

Saudi Arabian Airlines [VIP charter]

Royal Brunei Airlines [VIP charter]

Korean Air's HL7637

Korean Air's HL7637 (c/n 40909, l/n 1529) is the first 747-8i to make a passenger flight to HNL, it arrived this morning from ICN as KAL53, and returned to ICN as KAL54. The 747-8B5, delivered to Korean Air this past June, is seen above taxiing to Gate 34. This flight had been previously operated with 777-3B5ERs.

Atlas Air's N853GT

Atlas Air's first 747-87UF/SCD is seen above making a stop in Honolulu after arriving from Cincinnati [CVG], before it heads out to Sydney [SYD] as PAC242. N853GT (c/n 37572, l/n 1467) wears a hybrid scheme combining Polar Air Cargo titles and a DHL tail. 

B747-8 Experimental

Primer only

BOE524 from KPAE on 01/25/13, a B747-8 Freighter Experimental on the South Ramp at KOA.  They will be on the ground overnight only on a quick turn test flight.  There's no paint, no frills on this one.  It's all business.

This 747-8KZF is bound for Nippon Cargo Airlines as JA14KZ (c/n 37394, l/n 1469), and is flying as BOE524 during its pre-delivery test flights.

B747-8 Freighter Experimental

40,000 ft at Mach .8 is tough on Decals