Syrian Air » B747SP

Syrian Air is one of the few airlines in the world still to operate the 747SP or "Special Performance," which was first delivered in 1976. It is a squashed version of the 747 that carries a smaller payload but, with the same four engines, requires almost as much fuel.

Originally designed to fly non-stop between the US and the Middle East, only 45 were built and technology - and fuel prices - soon meant it became obsolete.

From the Syrian Air website: The SP was developed to target two market requirements. The first was to offer a smaller model to compete with the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011, while maintaining commonality with the larger standard 747s. The 747 was simply too big for many routes, and Boeing did not have a mid-sized widebody to compete in the segment of the market that the DC-10 and L-1011 had created. The second market requirement was the emerging ultra long-range routes which were emerging in the mid-1970s. This required not only a longer range, but a higher cruising speed. Boeing could not afford to develop an all-new design, so instead it shortened the 747 and re-optimized it for speed and range at the expense of capacity.

Apart from having a shorter fuselage, the 747SP differs from other 747 variants in having a larger tail surface and simpler wing flap system. The 747SP uses a larger single-piece flaps on the trailing edges (other 747s use triple flaps). The SP could typically only accommodate 220 passengers in a 3-class cabin, but could fly over 6500 mi (10461 km) at speeds of up to 610 mph (981.7 km/h). Some airline insiders call it the "74 Short" or "Baby Jumbo" because of its shortened fuselage, and stubby appearance. Originally designated 747SB (standing for Short Body), Boeing later changed the production designation to 747SP, reflecting the aircraft's longer range and faster cruise speed.