article_snippet: Crowds cheer as the Qantas Boeing 747-400 lands at Illawarra Regional Airport .
article_snippet: ABC News reported that thousands of people gathered in and around the small airport to watch the landing, and thousands of people cheered and applauded loudly as Canberra plane landed on the short and narrow runway - a distance less than half the length of Sydney Airport's runways.
article_snippet: Illawarra Airport's runway is just 30 metres wide but the aircraft has a wingspan of 64 metres.
article_snippet: A pilot waves from the cockpit hatch of the Qantas Boeing 747 after landing at Illawarra Regional Airport .
article_snippet: Qantas crew wave to the crowd after the final retirement flight of the B747-400 .