Boeing 747's survival depends on a lifeline from Russia

Chicago

TIME is running out for Boeing Co's iconic 747 jumbo jetliner, the plane that brought global travel to the masses in the 1970s.

The storied 747 has fallen from favour in the modern airline industry as carriers turn to twin-engine aircraft that can fly farther and use less fuel, like Boeing's own 777 or the Airbus A350. Sales of the cavernous freight model have waned as well, done in by an eight-year slump in global air shipping.