The Largest Airliner in the World

 

Most of us have been on an airplane at least once in our life. They are the most used and fastest means of transport to long (sometimes very long) distances. Planes have come a long way since the Wright brothers’ first flight in the early 1900s! They have become faster, bigger, and used by a large number of people around the world. They are also used to transport all kinds of goods, vehicles, and military personnel.

But have you ever wondered which are the largest ones? Wonder no more because here’s the list of the largest airliners in the world.

Airplane model	Capacity	Position
Airbus A380-800	853 places	1
Boeing 747-8	700 places	2
Boeing 747-400	624 places	3
Boeing 777-300	550 places	4
Airbus A340-600	475 places	5
Boeing 777-200	440 places	6
Airbus A350-900	440 places	7
McDonnell Douglas DC-10	380 places	8
Airbus A340-500	372 places	9
Ilyushin 96-400	315 places	10
Airbus A340-300	295 places	11
Boeing 757	200 places	12
Airbus A321	220 seats	13
Airbus A220	145 places	14

14. Airbus A220

It is a family of narrow-body airliners, also known as Bombardier CSeries, of recent design and development.

It can carry up to 150 passengers and is currently in service with Delta Air Lines, Swiss International Air Lines, and airBaltic.

Period of use: From 2013 to today
Dimensions: Length 38.70m – Wingspan 35.10m – Fuselage diameter 3.50m – Height 11.50m – Wingspan 112.3m2
Maximum speed: 0.82 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Delta Air Lines, Swiss International Air Lines, and airBaltic
Airliner’s price: $81 million – $91.5 million

13. Airbus A321

The Airbus A320 is part of the homonymous airliner family and represents its base model.

To date, it is one of the airliners that have registered excellent sales success. In fact, over 6.700 units have been purchased in total.

Period of use: From 1986 to today
Dimensions: Length 37.57m – Wingspan 35.80m – Fuselage diameter 3.95m – Height 11.76m – Wings area 124m2
Maximum speed: 0.82 Mach
Company/-ies using it: American Airlines, EasyJet, and China China Eastern Airlines
Airliner’s price: $101 million

12. Boeing 757

Before becoming President of the United States of America, Donald Trump used his own Boeing 757 for his travels.
The model owned by Trump is the eighth-most expensive private plane in the world, customized with a master bedroom completed with a bathroom with 24-carat gold taps, a dining room, a guest room, several big screens with over 1.000 movies available to not get bored. There are also various finishes such as those of the seat belts, which are also plated in 24-karat gold.

The model that performs scheduled flights, on the other hand, has a more moderate style.

Period of use: From 1982 to today
Dimensions: Length 47.32m – Wingspan 38.05m – Fuselage diameter 3.76m – Height 13.56m – Wing area 181.25m2
Maximum speed: 0.79 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Delta Air Lines, United Airlines
Airliner’s price: $65 million – $80 million

11. Airbus A340-300, 295 seats

The Airbus A340 is a low-wing, four-engine airliner, used on long-haul routes. It features a wide-body fuselage, four turbofans, and winglets.

To date, the A340 never had any fatal accidents; however, 5 airliners have been irreparably damaged. There are 246 models sold from this model.

Period of use: From 1993 to today
Dimensions: Length 63.6m – Wingspan 60.3m – Fuselage diameter 5.64m – Height 16.85m – Wings area 361.6m2
Maximum speed: 0.86 Mach
Compan/-ies using it: Over 30 companies, including Air France, Air Leisure, Air Madagascar, Air Mauritius, Iberia, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines
Airliner’s price: $211 million – $219 million

10. Ilyushin 96-400

It is a wide-body airliner completely designed and built in Russia.

It boasts a positive safety record according to the “Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Center” index as of September 2010 none of the aircraft of this type have ever been involved in an accident.

Period of use: From 1988 to today
Dimensions: Length 63.94m – Wingspan 60.1m – Fuselage diameter 6.08m – Height 15.7m – Wings area 350m2
Maximum speed: 0.84 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Aeroflot, Aerostars Airlines, Rossija Airlines, and Cubana de Aviación
AIrliner’s price: $40 million – $50 million

9. Airbus A340-500

It is the same type of aircraft as the Airbus A340-300, but with a greater range. It was first presented on June 5, 1987, at the Paris-Le Bourget International Air and Space Show.

It first flew on 11 February 2002 but is currently out of production although more than a hundred units are still in service.

Period of use: From 1993 to today
Dimensions: Length 67.9m – Wingspan 63.45m – Fuselage diameter 5.64m – Height 17.1m – Wings area 439.4m2
Maximum speed: 0.86 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Over 15 airlines, including Air Canada, Emirates Airlines, Iberia, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic Airways
Airliner’s price: $250.8 million

8. McDonnell Douglas DC-10

The manufacturing company McDonnell Douglas, after the merging between McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and Douglas Aircraft Company, created the current Boeing. To date, it’s this US aeronautical company is the second manufacturer in the world in the civil aviation branch.

This model, which is no longer in production nor in service, was built at the request of American Airlines and made its last passenger flight in 2014.

Period of use: From 1970 to 2014
Dimensions: Length 55.50m – Wingspan 50.40m – Fuselage diameter 6.03m – Height 17.70m – Wings area 367.7m2
Maximum speed: 0.88 Mach
Company/-ies using it: American Airlines
Airliner’s price: $13 million – 180 million

7. Airbus A350-900

The Airbus A350 XWB is a twin-engine wide-body aircraft manufactured by the European multinational company Airbus and it’s intended for long-haul routes.

It is used not only by numerous airlines from all over the world but also by the German Luftwaffe for VIP transport.

Period of use: from 2014 to today
Dimensions: Length 66.80m – Wingspan 64.75m – Fuselage diameter 5.96m – Height 17.10m – Wings area 443m2
Maximum speed: 0.89 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Over 50 airlines, including Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines
Airliner’s price: $317.4 million

6. Boeing 777-200

It is a long-range wide-body airliner, manufactured by the US industry Boeing since the mid-90s. It features two turbofan engines and it’s the largest twin-engine in the world. Its characteristic elements are the large gondolas under the wings, the six wheels on each of the two main carriages, and the large circular section fuselage.

The 777 was the first airliner built by Boeing with fly-by-wire controls, i.e. computer-mediated and electronic servo controls, and it’s produced in different versions, with variable lengths and ranges. The 777-200LR is even able to travel half a world without a stop and holds the record for the longest range airliner and for the longest distance covered by an airliner with a single refueling. On 8 January 2015, a British Airways Boeing 777-200 flew New York – London in a record time of 5 hours and 16 minutes. The arrival in the British capital was an hour and a half ahead of schedule!

Period of use: From 2014 to today
Dimensions: Length 63.7m – Wingspan 60.9m – Fuselage diameter 6.19m – Height 18.5m – Wings area 427.8m2
Maximum speed: 0.86 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Over 20 airlines, including Emirates, United Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Air China, FedEx, Turkish Airlines, and Alitalia
Airliner’s price: $258.8 million

5. Airbus A340-600

It is a variant of the Airbus A340 family, which has increased in size by 40% to compete with the competitor, Boeing 777-200LR.

It is considered one of the most modern airliners currently in service as it is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies that allow perfect airworthiness as well as various onboard entertainment services, including the ability to view real-time footage on the screens from an external camera located on the tail rudder.

Period of use: From 2014 to today
Dimensions: Length 75.30m – Wingspan 63.45m – Fuselage diameter 8m – Height 17.30m – Wing area 439.4m2
Maximum speed: 0.86 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Over 50 airlines, including Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines
Airliner’s price: $313 million

4. Boeing 777-300

The Boeing 777 is a long-range wide-body airliner.

Despite its conventional exterior, the 777 introduced a number of innovative technologies, including a fully digitized computer-mediated flight control system and the first use of optical fiber in civil aircraft avionics. This model has 60 units sold.

Period of use: From 2014 to today
Dimensions: Length 73.9m – Wingspan 60.9m – Fuselage diameter 6.20m – Height 18.5m – Wings area 427.8m2
Maximum speed: 0.84 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Over 20 Companies, including Emirates, Air France, and Alitalia
Airliner’s price: $279 million

3. Boeing 747-400

The Boeing 747 is a four-jet wide-body aircraft, designed by Joe Sutter, and used as an airliner and transport aircraft. It is often referred to by its original nickname Jumbo Jet or Queen of the Skies. It has held the world record for carrying capacity for 37 years! It is available in passenger and freight versions, plus other customized variants.

Boeing designed the “hump” shaped upper deck to be used as a seating area for first-class passengers or, as is usually the case in recent times, to give space for additional seats and to allow the aircraft to easily convert from passenger to cargo by removing the seats and installing a cargo door in the nose. The 747-400 is the most popular passenger version in service and is among the fastest airliners.

Period of use: From 1970 to today
Dimensions: Length 70.66m – Wingspan 64.44m – Height 19.41m – Wing area 520.24m2
Maximum speed: 0.92 Mach
Company/-ies using it: British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Lufthansa
Airliner’s price: $228 million

2. Boeing 747-8

It is a wide-body airliner and represents the third generation of the Boeing 747. This version boasts redesigned wings, an elongated fuselage, and greater efficiency.

The 747-8 is the largest airliner ever built in the United States and the longest airliner in the world. It comes in two main variants: 747-8 Intercontinental (747-8I) for passengers and 747-8 Freighter (747-8F) for cargo.

Period of use: From 2010 to today
Dimensions: Length 76.3m – Wingspan 68.45m – Height 19.4m – Wings area 554m2
Maximum Speed: 0.84 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Korean Air and Lufthansa
Airliner’s price: $351.4 million

1. Airbus A380-800

Airbus A380-800 is officially the largest passenger aircraft in the world. It has the same characteristics as its “relatives”, but also something more.

Airbus A380-800 is a highly innovative airplane, especially in terms of performance, comfort for passengers, and respect for the environment, both, in terms of CO2 reductions and noise abatement.

Period of use: From 2007 to today
Dimensions: Length 72.72m – Wingspan 79.95m – Fuselage diameter 7.14m – Height 24.09m – Wing area 845m2
Maximum Speed: 0.88 Mach
Company/-ies using it: Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Air France, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Lufthansa
Airliner’s price: $318 million