A university in northern Thailand has a Boeing 747 parked at the entrance.<br /><br />The jumbo jet was formerly owned by Orient Thai Airlines but the carrier ceased operations in October 2018.<br /><br />Staff at the Ubon Ratchathani University snapped up the junked 'Queen Of The Skies' and installed it in a field next to the security gate.<br /><br />The aircraft, formerly with the registration HS-UTL, has been baffling passers-by ever since. <br /><br />Passengers flying to and from the region's airport a few miles away also see it from the air, causing some to wander why it is not at the airport.<br /><br />One travel blogger wrote: ''Please tell me why Ubon Ratchathani university has a Boeing 747 parked on its campus.''<br /><br />The Boeing 747-300 was produced in Everett, Washington State,started service in 1985 with Korean Air Lines. Orient Thai Airlines bought the iconic double-decker jet in 2005 before it was leased to Garuda Indonesia in 2006 and returned a year later.<br /><br />Records show it then remained in service until Orient Thai Airlines closed and the plane emerged at the university.<br /><br />Dwindling numbers of Boeing 747s remain in the skies as carriers replace them with more fuel-efficient alternatives. Their decline is likely to be exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis as many airlines reduce fleet size and continue the trend towards mid-sized planes with fewer seats.
