Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) · N487MC · Atlas Air

Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) illustration in Atlas Air livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF)

B747-30609Active
RegistrationUSN487MC
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?We checked that this aircraft’s registration, serial number and model match the official civil aviation register: FAA (United States), data as of Oct 8, 2026.That makes its identity more reliable. The verification expires after 12 months: if the register stops confirming it, the badge disappears.How we verify
OperatorAtlas Air
3operators
1incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
6photos

Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) built in 2002 in Everett. Operates for Atlas Air. Previously flew for Polar Air Cargo and El Al Israel Airlines.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld
Aging · 24 years · ≈ 96,000 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 x GE CF6-80C2B1F
PropulsionTurbofan
ConfigurationFreighter
First flight2002
Built inEverett, Washington (EE. UU.)
Country of registrationEstados Unidos
OwnerAtlas Air
MSN30609
Hex / ICAO 24-bitA603B0
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) · Oct 8, 2026

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 Miami it could fly non-stop as far as:

PVGShanghai (Pudong)13,262 kmJNBJohannesburg12,972 kmAKLAuckland12,961 kmDXBDubai12,607 kmPEKBeijing12,484 km
Beyond its rangeDELNew Delhi13,506 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

since 2020Atlas Air airline base
Base
MIAMiami
2020–2021El Al Israel Airlines network of its widebody aircraft
Base
TLVTel Aviv
Main destinations
AMSAmsterdamBCNBarcelonaBKKBangkokBOMMumbaiCDGParis (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)DMEMoscowEWRNewarkFCORomeHKGHong KongJFKNew YorkJNBJohannesburg
2021–2026Atlas Air airline base
Base
MIAMiami

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

2002
Built
Assembled by Boeing in Everett, Washington (USA).
Aug 23, 2018
Delivered to Polar Air Cargo
Delivered to Polar Air Cargo as N487MC.
May 2020
Placed in storage
In May 2020, the 747-45EF aircraft (registration N487MC), operated by Polar Air Cargo, was placed in storage. Source: Polar Air Cargo.
Source: Polar Air Cargo
May 2020
Parked due to COVID-19
In May 2020, the 747-45EF aircraft (registration N487MC), operated by Polar Air Cargo, was parked. Source: Polar Air Cargo.
What happened
The COVID-19 pandemic brought much of world aviation to a halt in 2020: as demand collapsed, thousands of aircraft sat parked for weeks or months. The extent and the dates varied a great deal from country to country and from airline to airline. This record is based on evidence FOR THIS AIRCRAFT (documented parking and gaps in its flight logbook). Source: Polar Air Cargo.
Source: Polar Air Cargo
Jun 30, 2020
Transferred to Atlas Air
Transferred to Atlas Air.
Jul 6, 2020
Transferred to El Al Israel Airlines
Transferred to El Al Israel Airlines.
Jan 6, 2021
Transferred to Atlas Air
Transferred to Atlas Air.
Jul 28, 2024
Incident
On July 28, 2024, the Boeing 747-45EF aircraft (registration N487MC), operated by Atlas, was involved in an incident. Source: Atlas.
Source: Atlas

Operators

2018-08-23
Polar Air Cargo
Registration N487MC
2020-06-30
Atlas Air
Registration N487MC
2020-07-06
El Al Israel Airlines
Registration N487MC
2021-01-06
Atlas Air
Registration N487MC

Register of memories

This space lets visitors record the memories they have with this aircraft and, in doing so, help fund this non-profit project: the largest aviation encyclopedia in the world.

Diamond
your photo
(Your name could be here)

Did you fly on this aircraft on your honeymoon? You can record it for posterity.

Get one
Gold
your photo
Your partner's name

Did you meet on a flight like this one? Leave the name written forever.

Get one
Silver
your photo
Your father's name

Did he ever fly on this aircraft? Honor him with a memory.

Get one
Memories in rotation—
Get one
See the full list of memories

Current position of the aircraft

Looking for a signal…
View on the adsb.lol live map

Real-time position via adsb.lol (ODbL license). There is a signal only while the aircraft is airborne and within coverage.

Gallery

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

External photograph of the aircraft
Hawkeye UK · Creative Commons (CC BY-SA)
External photograph of the aircraft
N509FZ · Creative Commons (CC BY-SA)
External photograph of the aircraft
N509FZ · Creative Commons (CC BY-SA)
External photograph of the aircraft
N509FZ · Creative Commons (CC BY-SA)

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 13, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 13). Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) · N487MC · Atlas Air. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-30609

MLA

“Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) · N487MC · Atlas Air.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 13 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-30609. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) · N487MC · Atlas Air.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 13, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-30609.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) · N487MC · Atlas Air. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-30609 (Accessed: 20 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_b747_30609,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) · N487MC · Atlas Air}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-13},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-30609},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-30609}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-20},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-20}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/B747-30609 |title=Boeing 747-400F (747-45EF) · N487MC · Atlas Air |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-13 |access-date=2026-10-20 |language=en}}