Dozens gathered at Sydney Airport on Wednesday to wave goodbye to QF7474, writing messages on the plane's body and reading tributes.
The impact of the virus on travel means the 747 and others were retired by Qantas six months earlier than planned.
It will sit in the US Mojave Desert.
"It's hard to overstate the impact that the 747 had on aviation and a country as far away as Australia," said CEO Alan Joyce.
