Comparing the World’s Largest Airplanes

• GALLERY: The World’s Largest Aircraft

ANTONOV AN-225 MRIYA

• Designers considered a twin-fuselage version powered by at least 12 jet engines.

• It was literally a one-of-a-kind airplane. (A second An-225 was started, but never finished.) 
• Mriya was destroyed in February 2022, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine at Gostomel Airport (UKKM).

AIRBUS A380-800

• The A380 is the world’s largest passenger airliner. In a typical four-class configuration, the superjumbo has a maximum capacity of 545 passengers, which is 78 more than Boeing’s 747-8 Intercontinental, which maxes out at 467. 
• Some carriers have outfitted the A380 with a luxurious shower for first class passengers. 

• The A380’s horizontal stabilizer measures 30.4 meters (100 feet), which is almost as long as the entire wingspan of the Airbus A320 single-aisle jet. 
• During takeoff, the A380 wings flex upward by more than 4 meters (13 feet). 
• The external paint (primer and topcoat) on an A380 weighs 531 kg (1,171 lbs).

BOEING 747-8 INTERCONTINENTAL

• The next generation jetliner to be used as Air Force One will be a military version of the Boeing 747-8i. The new type will be designated VC-25B. 
• The 747-8i is the world’s longest airliner currently in service. The 777-9, expected to enter service as early as 2023, will extend the 777 model’s lifespan a bit longer than the 747. 
• The 747-8 includes improvements over the 747-400, such as technology from the flight deck of the 787 Dreamliner. Redesigned wings incorporate efficient raked wingtips, and double-slotted inboard flaps.

BOEING 777-9 (aka 777X)

• The 777X has the longest wings Boeing has ever built. In fact, they’re so long, their wings include hinges that allow the wingtips to fold. This feature allows the jet to more easily taxi to and from airport gates without colliding with infrastructure or other aircraft. 
• The wings are composed of very strong and lightweight carbon fiber and are made in giant ovens called autoclaves, which are used to bake the enormous wing components under pressure. 
• The 777X will be longer and wider than a Boeing 747 and will be the world’s largest twin-engine airliner.

BOEING DREAMLIFTER LCF (LARGE CARGO AIRCRAFT)

• Only four of the modified 747-400s were ever built.
• The fuselage diameter of the Dreamlifter is 18 inches larger than the fuselage of the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jet.

HUGHES H-4 HERCULES [AKA SPRUCE GOOSE]

• Largest flying boat ever built. 
• It was made almost entirely of laminated birch, not spruce. 
• Only flew once: November 2, 1947.
• On the day it flew, Howard Hughes, head of Hughes Aircraft Company, piloted the aircraft himself in California’s Long Beach Harbor. It flew a distance of one mile (1.6 kilometers), for less than a minute, remaining airborne 70 feet (21 meters) off the water at a speed of 80 mph (128 kph) before landing.

LOCKHEED C-5 GALAXY / C-5M SUPER GALAXY

• The C-5M, the largest U.S. military aircraft, has an unrefueled range of approximately 5,524 statute miles (4,800 nm) with 120,000 pounds of cargo—and approximately 7,000 nm with no cargo on board.
• C-5 aircraft engines were upgraded from four General Electric TF-39 engines to General Electric CF6-80C2-L1F (F-138) commercial engines, which have 22 percent more thrust, a 30 percent shorter takeoff roll, and a 58 percent faster climb rate, according to the U.S. Air Force.

STRATOLAUNCH 'ROC'

• Designed and built by Scaled Composites, founded by Burt Rutan.
• Avionics, engines, and landing gear are re-purposed from the Boeing 747-400.
• A three-person crew operates the jet from a flight deck in the right fuselage. (The front left fuselage is empty).
• Its wingspan is more than 150 feet wider than a Boeing 747-8, more than 90 feet wider than the Antonov An-225, and more than 60 feet wider than the Hughes H-4. 
• FAA registration number: N351SL 
• Crew: Two pilots and a flight engineer
• The twin fuselages are 95 feet apart
• Official designation: Model 351

• What It’s Like to Fly the World’s Largest Airplane
• World’s Largest Airplane to Launch Hypersonic Aircraft

OTHER AIRCRAFT

LZ-129 HINDENBURG AIRSHIP

• It was the longest aircraft ever built in aviation history—more than three times longer than a 747. 
• Typical crew: 40 flight officers and men; 10-12 stewards and cooks

HYBRID AIR VEHICLES AIRLANDER 10 AIRSHIP

• If successful, it could become the longest aircraft in the world currently operational. 
• The prototype only flew seven flights.
• The production version is designed to be nearly 20 feet longer and is expected to enter service in 2025. 
• Airlander uses fiber optic flight control systems, aka “fly-by-light” technology, instead of conventional systems that send control signals via fly-by-wire.