B-HUJ

Manufactured at Boeing's Everett facility under serial number 27595 and line number 1061, this Boeing 747-400 first took to the skies on May 14, 1995, powered by four Rolls-Royce RB211-524G/H engines. It was officially delivered to Hong Kong's flag carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways, on May 23, 1995, entering service under the British colonial Hong Kong registration VR-HUJ. On August 25, 1997, following the historic handover of Hong Kong to China, the aircraft was re-registered under the Chinese prefix as B-HUJ, continuing its flagship long-haul duties.

Throughout its operational life, B-HUJ served as a workhorse of Cathay Pacific's long-haul international network, connecting Hong Kong with key intercontinental gateways across Europe, North America, and Australasia. Most famously, on July 6, 1998, B-HUJ etched its name into modern aviation history by operating flight CX889, dubbed 'Polar One'—a nonstop demonstration flight from New York JFK over the Arctic Polar route. When B-HUJ touched down at 06:27 local time after an epic 16-hour journey, it completed the very first non-stop commercial transpolar flight and made aviation history as the very first commercial flight to land at Hong Kong's brand-new Chek Lap Kok International Airport upon its official opening.

B-HUJ remained a beloved icon in Cathay Pacific's fleet for more than two decades, maintaining operations even as modern twin-engine aircraft progressively took over passenger long-haul sectors. In October 2016, Cathay Pacific selected B-HUJ to perform the airline's final scheduled passenger Boeing 747 flight, operating CX543 from Tokyo Haneda back to Hong Kong. A few days later, on October 8, 2016, the jet conducted a special commemorative low-altitude farewell flypast over Victoria Harbour, saluting thousands of aviation enthusiasts and airline staff. Following this emotional farewell, the historic Jumbo Jet was retired and flown to the United States, where it was stored and later parted out and scrapped, leaving behind an indelible legacy in Hong Kong's commercial aviation heritage.