Insigtful Blog Pages of Thread in Motion

Biggest Airplanes Across the Globe | World's 5 Largest Aircraft

Written by Işık Handan | Sep 1, 2021 10:01:04 AM

The largest airplanes, which originally were invented by the Orville and Wilbur Wright brothers in 1903 and have been a huge part of our lives since then, are used functionally in countless industries today.

Airplanes, which operate in many areas of use such as tourism, logistics, and defense industry, have become much more than the Wright brothers had imagined at that time. Day by day, while technologies that push the boundaries of the aviation industry are revealed, airplanes are growing bigger and becoming more functional.

At this point, the importance of the aviation sector in the field of trade and logistics can be clearly seen. As the volume of international trade expands, highways are no longer a practical option and companies look for more flexible, faster, and more useful options. The growing and expanding high-tech aircraft is the first of these options.

The development of the aviation industry and technology is directly proportional to increasing competition and globalization. The growth and development of cargo and passenger aircraft also cause the development of value-added service opportunities through companies. In parallel with the developments in the logistics sector, there have also been improvements in the aviation sector and freight transport. 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.

Expectations for the future of the aircraft industry and air logistics will increase exponentially, and this will reflect positively on logistics fees and more frequent use of the air cargo services.

Emerging technology, rising globalization, increasing demand, competition, and as a result; larger airplanes...

Here Are The World's Largest Airplanes

* This chart shows the comparison of the biggest airplanes in the world. 

  • Antonov AN-225 MRIYA

Among the list of the world's largest aircraft, the first one that comes to mind is the Ancomparisononov AN-225 aircraft, made by the Antonov Design Bureau of Ukraine. Mriya means Imagination in Ukrainian, and there is only one AN-225 in the world. Even though the construction of the second one was started, it was never completed as it would cost a lot.

Technical Information:

Number of engines: 6

Body length: 84 m

Height: 18.1m

Curb weight: 285 tons

Number of wheels: 32

Wingspan: 88.4 m

Maximum take-off weight: 640 tons

  • Airbus A380-800

Airbus A380-800 is the first double-decker passenger plane of Airbus. As the largest passenger aircraft in the world, it made its first test flight in 2005. It can carry a total of 525 passengers with its massive 4 jet engines. The first commercial flight of A380-800 took place in 2007. 

Technical Information:

Length: 72.7m

Curb weight: 361 tons

Wingspan: 79.8 m

Maximum take-off weight: 560 tons

Height: 24.5 m

  • Boeing 747-8

The Boeing 747-8 aircraft, which is used for both passenger and cargo transportation, was named a "flying fortress" by the former President of the United States, Donald Trump. At the same time, this aircraft went down in history as the largest passenger aircraft in the US and the second-largest passenger aircraft in the entire world.

Technical Information:

Height: 19.4m

Length: 76.3m

Wingspan: 68.4 m

Number of engines: 4

Maximum take-off weight: 447 tons

Curb weight: 361 tons

  • Boeing 747 Dreamlifter

One of Boeing's other successful and advanced technology aircraft was named the 747 Dreamlifter. There are only 4 of these planes which are all empty and used only in the cargo/logistics field. It is also lighter than other aircraft of the same size.

Technical Information:

Wingspan: 64 m

Curb Weight: 180 tons

Length: 71m

Height: 21m

Range: 4200 nmi

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 364235 kg

  • Stratolaunch

Stratolaunch, which is among the world's largest aircraft in today's history, was initially supported by American billionaire Paul Allen. The reason behind it falling like a bomb to the world’s agenda is that Stratolaunch is massive. In fact, it consists of 6 Boeing 747 aircraft engines. It is also formed by combining two planes and is generally used in rockets, cargo transportation, and the military.

Technical Information:

Wingspan: 117 m

Curb Weight: 226 tons

Number of Wheels: 28

Maximum Weight: 589670 kg

Length: 73 m

Sharing is caring!