How Much Does It Cost To Lease A Boeing 747-400 Monthly?

With 694 examples produced, the Boeing 747-400 was the most popular variant of the 747 series. Flown by airlines around the world, this Queen of the Skies model has been increasingly rare in terms of active service. But if one were to lease the jumbo jet, how much would it cost per month? Let’s find out.

The first 747-400 rolled out of Boeing’s Everett facilities in 1988. Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

Few 747-400s operating at the moment

According to data from ch-aviation.com, there are currently just 30 747-400s across 16 operators listed as active in the world at the moment. This figure excludes freighters and inactive aircraft, which may, in the future, return to service.

At the same time, the list of 30 does include two testbeds, one operated by General Electric and the other by Rolls-Royce, as well as a number of VIP jets operated by groups like the Dubai Air Wing and Bahrain Royal Flight.

However, if we look at standard commercial passenger 747-400s, we can see that Russian carrier Rossiya is among the few carriers actively operating their fleet of jumbo jets. For our hunt for estimated leasing costs, we’ll take a look at some of these jets, as well as a few inactive aircraft.

Many passenger 747-400s have either been retired or remain parked and inactive due to the ongoing crisis. Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

$100,000 per month?

Data presented by ch-aviation.com, acquired from Collateral Verifications LLC, puts the market lease rate for a Boeing 747-400 somewhere between $50,000 and $110,000 per month.

Naturally, the value and cost of the aircraft will vary depending on factors such as:

• Age
• Flight cycles
• Flight hours

Without inspecting each 747 individually, the costs presented assume that each individual aircraft is “certified, maintained, and operated under U.S. Federal Aviation Regulation Part 91.” 

Finally, it’s stated that the rates provided “represent the current market operating lease rate being paid on a monthly basis by good credits based on the typical lease terms for the aircraft type and do not include any type of maintenance reserves.”

Rossiya seems to be one of the most active operators of the 747-400 at the moment. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons 

Sample estimations

With the above criteria and limitations stated, let’s look at individual jets and what Collateral Verifications has estimated.

• D-ABVW: Although listed as parked, this Lufthansa-operated aircraft has an estimated monthly lease rate of $105,000 per month. As of June 30th, it has accumulated 105,279 flight hours and 12,486 flight cycles.
• EI-XLE: This active Rossiya aircraft is also estimated at $105,000 per month. With the latest data on flight hours and flight cycles being six years old, the jet is likely worth less now.
• EP-MNB: This 32-year-old 747-400 operated by Iran’s Mahan Air could be leased for as little as $55,000 per month! Unfortunately, its flight hours and cycles are unavailable, potentially further lowering its value.
• YI-AQQ: This 27-year-old Iraqi Airways jumbo jet could be leased for $80,000. Its flight hours and cycles are unavailable.
• N322SG: One of the ‘most expensive’ 747-400s we found, this 21-year-old Atlas Air passenger jumbo could lease for as much as $110,000 per month. As of June 2021, it has 46,264 flight hours and 6,162 flight cycles. Its youthful age and low usage figures earn it that extra $5,000 per month over the Lufthansa jumbo first mentioned.

What do you think of these estimations on lease rates? What would you do with a jumbo jet if you could lease it for a month? Let us know in the comments.

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