LIVE: A British Airways Boeing 747 plane is being driven up M5, M6, M56 and M60 to Manchester - traffic updates

A Boeing 747 is making its final journey to Barton Airport today - on the back of a lorry. The top deck of the decommissioned plane will be transported from Kemble, on the edge of the Cotswolds, to Salford, where it's set to become a new tourist attraction.

It's setting off about 9.30am and will make its way along the M5, M6, M56 and M60, before arriving in Salford around four and a half hours later.

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Airline memorabilia company Doors2Manual plan to use 'The Deck', as it's been dubbed, as a backdrop for weddings and conferences and for educational purposes. It will also be the UK's only 747 flight simulator using a real aircraft flight deck.

The 747 is a much-loved plane in the aviation industry. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic the final 38 were sent for early retirement. British Airways scrapped all 31 of its 747s – 10 per cent of its entire fleet, while Virgin Atlantic put its last seven of the aircraft out to pasture.

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Here's the route the plane will be taking.

The plane is on its way.