DHAKA: Joe Sutter, the man who led development of Boeing's 747 jumbo jet, has died aged 95.

Boeing’s commercial aircraft boss Ray Conner said Sutter was “an inspiration” not just to Boeing but “to the entire aerospace industry”, reports the BBC.

The 747, which ushered in the long-haul travel era, first flew in 1969 before making its commercial debut in 1970.

It only lost its status as the biggest passenger aircraft in 2007 with the launch of the Airbus A380.

Sutter was in charge of the engineering team that developed the 747 in the mid-1960s.

He and his team became known as “the Incredibles” for producing the world's largest aeroplane in just 29 months.

Ironically, Boeing did not initially expect to produce many passenger-carrying 747s.

In the 1960s, the future of commercial aviation was widely expected to be with supersonic airliners. The subsonic 747 was expected to become obsolete after a production run of about 400 craft.

BDST: 1911 HRS, SEP 01, 2016
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