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The Boeing 747, the plane that pioneered the jumbo jet concept, contains over six million individual parts. As humanity entered the golden age of flight, we’ve created some impressive aircraft to accommodate the growing demand for air travel. Journalist – With almost a decade of experience in the publishing sphere, Justin has built up a deep understanding of the issues facing aviation today. Last on our list is the Stratolaunch aircraft (with the full name of the Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch).
So it made sense for the company to shut down the production for economic reasons as it’s losing money on each A380 they sell. It remains preserved and on display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon, US. From the outset, Airbus has split aircraft construction over several locations.
Discover the Top 5 Biggest Passenger Plane in the World
The development cost of the A380 had grown to €11–14[22] billion when the first aircraft was completed. Due to difficulties with the electrical wiring, the initial production was delayed by two years and the development costs almost doubled. It was first delivered to Singapore Airlines on 15 October 2007 and entered service on 25 October.
Developed in 2014, the BelugaXL flew its first operational flight in 2020 after more than 200 test flights. It has officially joined Airbus’s already behemoth fleet to move certified Big Things around the world. It has an overall length of 208 feet and 11 inches (63.69 meters), a height of 55 feet and nine inches (16.99 meters), and a wingspan of 197 feet and 10 inches (60.30 meters). The European-made plane has an overall length of 208 feet and 10 inches (63.66 meters), a height of 55 feet and one inch (16.79 meters), and a wing span of 197 feet and 10 inches (60.3 meters). Airbus is constantly working to keep their A340 line updated with the latest technology to ensure that passengers can enjoy a comfortable flight even when on long hauls.
Airbus Beluga XL — Maximum Takeoff Weight: 227 Tonnes
The latest is the largest version offered, coming in at just over three meters longer than the A380. But it has a lower maximum capacity of 605 (again, this is the maximum exit limit, the typical capacity is around 450). It also has a much shorter wingspan than the Superjumbo (68.4 meters compared to 79.95 meters), which has been a benefit as it increases the number of airports at which it can operate.
The plane has a length of 209 feet and one inch (63.7 meters), a height of 61 feet and one inch (18.6 meters), and a wingspan of 212 feet and seven inches (64.8 meters). The plane has a length of 222 feet and 10 inches (67.93 meters), a height of 56 feet and eight inches (17.53 meters), and a wingspan of 208 feet and two inches (63.45 meters). Airbus is no slouch when it comes to some of the most impressive passenger planes in the sky today. It’s true that the plane is very expensive, but that price tag is not even enough to cover the production cost, let alone cover the research and development cost of the program (estimated to $25 billion).
This model also guarantees speedy loading and unloading, equipped with a rear loading ramp. Overall, the ability of An-124 Ruslan to facilitate transport across several sectors and industries makes it a unique military asset. Air-to-launch carrier for hypersonic vehicles and other types of aircraft. To transport wings, tail, and fuselage components for Boeing 787 Dreamliners and other oversized cargo. The Stratolaunch has a wingspan of 117m and is the biggest plane ever flown. To put that into some kind of context, the average soccer field is about 105m in length.
At number two, we have the “Queen of the Skies,” The iconic Boeing 747 is a semi-double-decker, long-range wide-body airliner. The aircraft’s design is credited to Joe Sutter, who left the Boeing 737 development program in 1965. The type is the world’s first twin-deck airliner and was rolled out of the Boeing Everett factory on September 30, 1968. The 757 has a range of 3,915 nmi/7,250 km (-200 variant), a length of 178 ft 7 in/54.4 m (-300 variant), and a fuselage width of 148 in/3.76 m. The type is capable of flying at Mach 0.86 (496 kn; 918 km/h) and has a wingspan of 124 ft 6in / 38 m.
Airbus A350-1000 — Maximum Takeoff Weight: 319 Tonnes
It has a twin-fuselage design, with the cockpit and flight crew all being housed in the right fuselage. This wide-bodied cargo plane was designed mainly to transport parts of another plane (The Boeing 787 Dreamliner) from factories to final assembly plants. But the sheer size and versatility of this freighter have led to a long service life. The C-5 has enough cargo space to carry two M1 Abrams tanks, 16 Humvees, three Black Hawks, or a variety of other vehicles. Without cargo, the C-5 can fly up to 7,000 miles without refueling, making it the longest-range military airlifter in the world.
That’s more than some Airbus craft can handle in their standard configurations. This is the biggest and baddest member of the iconic 747 family and it definitely has the stats to prove it. Hopefully, this has been an interesting look at some of the largest aircraft around. Remember, there are many ways to measure such aircraft, and several others could have made the list. As of May 2023, according to data from ch-aviation.com, 18 An-124 aircraft are currently active. Most are operated by the Russian Air Force, and two by Russian cargo-specialist Volga-Dnepr.
As an aviation innovation marvel, Boeing enjoys a great legacy as an energy-efficient and spacious passenger model. Antonov An-124 Ruslan entered service in 1986, having been designed by the Soviet Union’s Antonov Design Bureau. It is also a powerful large cargo airlift model best suited for heavy cargo. It usually transports bulky loads like heavy materials, supplies, and equipment globally. Furthermore, its large cargo door made loading and unloading effortless.
Antonov An-124 — Maximum Takeoff Weight: 402 Tonnes
In the past, the airways were preferred only for the transportation of high-cost products, but nowadays almost all kinds of commercial cargo can be transported by airlines. With a maximum takeoff weight of 590 tonnes, it can transport about 227 tonnes to an altitude of 35,000 Ft. for launch. Typically, with a range of approximately 3,700 kilometers (2000 nautical miles) and powered by six powerful jet engines, Stratolaunch dominates the spacecraft category. Space explorers now use this aviation marvel to launch satellites into orbit. The Airbus A380 is the world’s largest commercial plane and can hold up to 555 passengers.
Here at AeroTime we’ve gathered data and compiled a list of the world’s top 10 largest passenger jet aircraft. Airbus and Boeing combined have nine out of the ten largest passenger aircraft in the world. If we consider the most produced aircraft to date out of the above-mentioned airliners, Boeing is the winner. The first and only Russian aircraft on our list, the Ilyushin Il-96 is a four-engine jet designed by Ilyushin and built by the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association in Russia. It evolved from the Ilyushin Il-86, the Soviet Union’s first widebody aircraft. Il-96 is powered by four high-bypass turbofan engines, the Aviadvigatel PS-90, and it produces a thrust of kgf (157 kN, 35,300 lbf).
- Up until this point, it was the heaviest plane ever built, with a maximum take-off weight of 640 tonnes.
- When it comes to the biggest planes in the sky, there might be some that can eclipse its size, but no aircraft has a bigger legacy.
- For a better understanding of this ranking, we have grouped aircraft variants rather than listing them individually.
- Interestingly, Lockheed was also interested in an even larger replacement.
- A few to name are the Stratolaunch, the Hughes H-4 Hercules, the Antonov An-225 Mriya (destroyed in the Russia-Ukraine war), the Boeing Dreamlifter, and the Airbus Beluga XL.
American Airlines (AA) and NH are the two largest operators of Boeing 787s. Where are they going to build enough low cost housing for all the Slavic Ware Refuge’s that come on these flights? The Lufthansa Group is a global aviation group with a total of more than 300 subsidiaries and equity investments.
Total development cost
The A380 is the largest passenger jet ever built by passenger capacity, volume, weight, and wingspan. The Boeing beats it for length, however, as will the upcoming Boeing (technically built but not yet in service). At number four we have the Airbus biggest commercial aircraft A350 Extra Wide Body (XWB), an ultra-long haul airliner designed and built by Airbus. It is the first Airbus aircraft built widely using carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers. It has impressive dual RR Trent XWB turbofan engines to propel aircraft.
The Airbus A380 widebody airliner is the world’s first and only aircraft with two full decks. The world’s largest passenger carrier is powered by four extremely powerful Engine Alliance GP7200 or Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbofans, each producing a thrust of 332.44–356.81 kN (74,740–80,210 lbf). It is the world’s largest twin-engine airliner, obtaining its thrust via multiple engine variants. The classic 777s are powered by the 77,200–98,000 lbf (343–436 kN) thrust of the GE90, the P&W PW4000, or the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 turbofan engines. The 777X is powered by GE9X, the world’s most powerful turbofan engine developed by General Electric. At number 10, we have the narrow-body aircraft designed and built by Boeing’s commercial airplane (BCA) division, the Boeing 757.
The Airbus 380 is the biggest commercial plane in the world and can hold 600 passengers across two levels. Bali Airport must now prepare not only airport logistics around the arrival of the aircraft but also upgrade facilities within the terminal building to manage the increased influx of arrivals. If you’re passionate about aviation and want to learn more about some of the biggest planes ever built, there are plenty of resources online. In this section, we’ve curated a list of further reading materials to take you deeper into these incredible aircraft’s history, design, and capabilities. Consequently, it can carry up to 250 tonnes of payload for about 2,160 nautical miles. Powered by six turbofan engines and a comprehensive six-wheel landing gear system, An-225 is an incredible aviation asset.