Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8)

B747-26255Unknown

RegistrationGBG-VBIG

OperatorVirgin Atlantic

0operators

2incidents

0accidents

0logbook years

18photos

Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8) built in 1996 in Everett.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld

Old · 30 years · ≈ 120,000 flight hours (approx.)

Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Recent flights

Checking flight activity…

Technical data

ManufacturerBoeing

Engines4× 4 x GENERAL ELECTRIC CO CF6-80C2B1F<br>

PropulsionJet

First flight1996

Built inEverett, Washington (EE. UU.)

Country of registrationReino Unido

OwnerVirgin Atlantic Airways

MSN26255

VerificationPending check against the official civil register

The model · Boeing 747

Figures for the 747-400 variant, the most representative of the family · it is 67% the length of a football pitch

Length70.7 m232 ft

Wingspan64.4 m211 ft

Height19.4 m64 ft

Range13,446 km7,260 NMWith a typical passenger load

Cruise speed903 km/h488 ktMach 0.85

Service ceiling13,700 m44,948 ftIt flies above Everest (1.5 times its height)

Maximum take-off weight396,893 kg874,998 lb

Maximum payload217,879 kg480,340 lbIts 416 passengers with baggage would weigh about 41.6 t; the rest is fuel and cargo

Typical capacity416 passengersUp to 660 in a high-density layout

Endurance14 h 53 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

With its 13,446 km range, from London it could fly non-stop as far as:

SCLSantiago11,653 km EZEBuenos Aires (Ezeiza)11,137 kmSINSingapore10,883 km LIMLima10,150 km HKGHong Kong9,630 km

Beyond its rangeSYDSydney (Mascot)17,021 km

The type first flew in 1969 (57 years ago) · About 1,574 units built · Production ended in 2023

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the Boeing 747 Compare this aircraft

Airports

Airports of the airlines that have operated it

current operatorVirgin Atlantic network of its widebody aircraft

Base

LHRLondon

Main destinations

LGWLondon ATLAtlanta MANManchester, Greater Manchester MCOOrlando UVFVieux Fort ANUOsbourn BGIBridgetown LASLas Vegas LAXLos Angeles PEKBeijing SFOSan Francisco

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

1996

Built

Assembled by Boeing in Everett, Washington (USA).

Jul 23, 2012

Incident at London

On July 23, 2012, the Boeing BOEING 747-4Q8 aircraft (registration G-VBIG), operated by Virgin Atlantic, was involved in an incident at London. Source: Virgin Atlantic.

Source: Virgin Atlantic

May 20, 2016

Incident at Las Vegas

On May 20, 2016, the Boeing BOEING 747-4Q8 aircraft (registration G-VBIG), operated by Virgin Atlantic, was involved in an incident at Las Vegas. Source: Virgin Atlantic.

Source: Virgin Atlantic

Memories coming soon

The register of memories is not open on this aircraft yet. We are enabling it gradually, record by record, as we consolidate each aircraft's information.

Before opening it we check the aircraft identity — its registration, its serial number and its model — against the civil register of the authority that registered it, so that every memory belongs to the exact aircraft that lived it. When that work reaches this record, the register will open here.

Gallery

External photographs under a Creative Commons license. Click to enlarge in a new tab.

External photograph of the aircraft — markyharky · CC BY 2.0

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 10, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 10). Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8) · G-VBIG · Virgin Atlantic. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-26255

MLA

“Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8) · G-VBIG · Virgin Atlantic.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 10 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-26255. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8) · G-VBIG · Virgin Atlantic.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 10, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-26255.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8) · G-VBIG · Virgin Atlantic. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-26255 (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_b747_26255,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8) · G-VBIG · Virgin Atlantic}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-10},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-26255},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-26255}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-26255 |title=Boeing 747-400 (747-4Q8) · G-VBIG · Virgin Atlantic |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-10 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}