The largest passenger aircraft in the world. The three largest aircraft in the world The largest civil aircraft in the world

Since man was able to invent the airplane and take to the air, this industry has developed incredibly quickly. Now the largest passenger Boeing can accommodate almost a thousand people, which seemed simply impossible just a few decades ago.

Dimensions and capacity of the largest passenger Boeing

The largest passenger Boeing is the Boeing 747. This aircraft has held its honorary title for several decades. The American aircraft began to operate in 1970, and since then it has been considered the largest and largest aircraft for transporting passengers.

The Boeing 747 lost its honorary title only in 2005, when the Airbus A380 aircraft was put into operation.

The capacity of the largest Boeing aircraft is about seven hundred people, depending on the modification of the aircraft. Due to the enormous popularity of this aircraft, Boeing hastened to release as many models as possible, distributing them throughout the world. In total, about 1,500 of these giants were produced, each of which was in operation for several years.

Despite its enormous size, the Boeing 747 is an example of the highest quality aircraft and complete thoughtful design. The length of the aircraft itself was initially 70.6 meters, and the wingspan was 59.6 meters. Now the length of the aircraft has increased to 76 meters. Such a giant could reach speeds of up to 955 kilometers per hour, which in 1970 seemed unthinkable.

Because Boeing is constantly modifying its most famous model, the maximum speed of the modern Boeing 747 is 988 kilometers per hour.

Other large passenger aircraft of the world

Currently, the largest passenger aircraft is the Airbus A380. The aircraft received its honorary status only in 2005, displacing the previous leader, the Boeing 747.

The Airobus A380 has a capacity of 852 passengers, which seems like an incredible number. The passengers themselves are located on two decks in the highest class salons. Great Britain, Italy and France took part in the production of this aircraft. Another large aircraft from Airbus is the A340-600. This airliner can accommodate a little less than 700 passengers, but is capable of flying more than 14 thousand kilometers without additional refueling.

Boeing is also proud of the 777-300 ER. This model can accommodate up to 550 passengers. At the same time, the aircraft is an absolute record holder in terms of flight duration without additional refueling. The plane can fly 21 thousand kilometers non-stop, which is unattainable for any other air transport model.

The impressive dimensions of the largest aircraft in the world speak only of the ambition of modern aircraft designers. Most likely, humanity will not stop there, and many more huge Boeings will appear in the world, striking not only with the quality of their equipment, but also with their incredible, hitherto incomprehensible dimensions.

This list contains the world's 10 largest aircraft ever built. The rating includes both passenger aircraft and cargo and transport aircraft. There are more detailed materials about some of them, for example An Mriya, and we will talk about some of them for the first time. The list is presented in descending order.

Dornier Do X
The Dornier Do X was the largest, heaviest, and most powerful aircraft in the world when it was produced by the German company Dornier in 1929. Essentially, it is more of a passenger flying boat than a classic airplane.

Tupolev Ant-20
Tupolev Ant-20, or Maxim Gorky, was named after Maxim Gorky and dedicated to the 40th anniversary of his literary and social activities. The Ant-20 was the largest known aircraft to adopt the Junkers design philosophy, with corrugated sheet steel in many key airframe components.

Boeing 747 Dreamlifter
This larger version of the Boeing 747, called the Dreamlifter, is used exclusively to transport parts of the Boeing 787 aircraft to the company's assembly plants from suppliers in other parts of the world.

Boeing 747-8
The Boeing 747-8 is the largest version of the 747, as well as the largest commercial aircraft built in the United States and the longest passenger aircraft in the world. That's how many records this outstanding aircraft has.

Boeing 747
The original version of the Boeing 747 had two and a half times the passenger capacity of the Boeing 707, one of the commercial aviation giants of the 1960s.

Antonov AN-22
The Antonov 22 is a heavy military transport aircraft designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in Kharkov. The aircraft is powered by four turboprop air-breathing engines. The AN-22 became the first Soviet wide-body aircraft and remains the world's largest four-engine turboprop high-wing aircraft with a twin fin and tail cargo hatch to this day.

Antonov An-124
The Antonov 124 is a strategic aircraft for air cargo transport. One of the largest aircraft in the world was developed by the Antonov design bureau. The 124 is the second tallest cargo aircraft in the world after the Boeing 747-8F and the third heaviest cargo aircraft in the world.

Airbus A380
The double-deck Airbus A380 is a wide-body airliner with four engines. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Many airports have had to upgrade their runways to accommodate its size. The A380 made its maiden flight on 27 April 2005 and began commercial service in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines.

Airbus A340
Second on the list is the Airbus A340. It seats up to 375 passengers in standard versions and 440 in enlarged versions. Depending on the model, the A-340 can travel from 12,400 to 17,000 km on one fill.

The largest aircraft is An-225 Mriya
The An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed by Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. Mriya is translated from Ukrainian as Dream. The aircraft is powered by six turbofan engines and is the largest in the world, with a maximum take-off weight of 640 tons. Currently, only one version has been built, but a second Mriya is also being prepared for release.

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world. In a single-class configuration, it can carry 853 passengers; there is also the A380-1000 project, which accommodates 1,073 passengers in economy class.

2. The Airbus A380 made its first flight on April 27, 2005, and began operation on October 25, 2007. This month we will celebrate our 10th anniversary.

3. Several countries are involved in the production of the airliner. The main sections of the airliner are being built at plants in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Russia also did not stand aside. Employees of the Airbus ECAR Engineering Center in Moscow, the first design bureau created by the concern in Europe outside the territories of its member countries in June 2003, took part in the design of the A380F. Russian designers carry out a significant amount of work on the design of fuselage parts, strength calculations, placement of on-board equipment and support of serial production of aircraft.

4. Airbus is a very open company and often organizes events for aviation enthusiasts. On October 1, together with Domodedovo Airport, another spotting was carried out. To get to spotting, follow the accounts of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport. But if you don't want to wait, you can take a photo of the Airbus from behind the fence, now you can do this during daylight hours and every day.

5. Wingspan Airbus A380 is 79.75 m, and the wing area is 845 m². The A380 wing is sized for a maximum take-off weight of over 650 tonnes. The flight range for the A380-800 model is 15,400 km.

6. The take-off run of the airliner is 2050 m, the run length is 2900 m.

Cruising speed is 900 km/h and maximum speed is 1020 km/h.

7. Domodedovo Airport became the first airport certified to receive the A380. For this we had to buy special equipment. For example, the height of the aircraft is 24.09 m - this is an eight-story building. You need to get to such a height, for example.
By the way, the equipment must be delivered due to its large size.

8. Currently, Domodedovo Airport remains the only airport in Russia that receives the Airbus A380 on a regular basis. Since October 1, the Airbus A380 of Emirates Airlines has been flying on the route Dubai - Moscow - Dubai.

9. There are known cases of A380 being manufactured according to special orders from private individuals. The first to order his personal Airbus A380 Super Jumbo was Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, nephew of King Abdullah. The order price is $488 million.

10. Currently, 215 Airbus A380 aircraft have been produced in the world, orders have been received for another 100 aircraft. On average, Airbus now produces about 30 A380 aircraft per year.

Thanks to the employees of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport for the invitation to spotting. It was great.

“The desire to fly is an idea passed down to us by our ancestors, who, in their grueling off-road journeys in prehistoric times, looked with envy at the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, without any obstacles on the endless road of air,” once Wilbur Wright said.

Could the Wright brothers, back in 1903, imagine what their idea of ​​controlled flight in the air would turn into? Now you won’t surprise anyone with supersonic planes and winged colossuses capable of transporting not only people, but also heavy equipment.

Well, we may not be able to fly like birds, but if we want, we can fly on one of the largest aircraft in the world. Choose which of these giants you like best.

Role: multi-role aircraft.

Developer: KB Tupolev, USSR.

This aircraft, created at the Voronezh Aviation Plant in 1934, became the largest aircraft of its time. Its wingspan reached 63 meters, and its maximum take-off weight was 42,000 kg. The ANT-20 was served by a staff of 5 people, and the aircraft could carry 48 passengers.

When the Little Prince's "father" Antoine de Saint-Exupéry arrived in the USSR, he flew on the ANT-20. But the life of this model was short-lived. In 1935, during a demonstration flight, the aircraft took off together with the I-5 fighter, which was supposed to demonstrate the difference in size for newsreels. While performing aerobatic maneuvers, the I-5 entered the “Nesterov loop”, lost speed and crashed onto the ANT-20 from above. That, in turn, began to fall apart in the sky and fell on the holiday village of Sokol.

As a result of this accident, 49 people died. At the Novodevichy cemetery there is a memorial topped with a huge granite bas-relief of the crashed plane.

Role: transport plane.

Developer: Boeing.

An aircraft unsurpassed in terms of fuselage capacity. The volume of its transport compartment is 1840 cubic meters. It is used strictly to transport parts of the Boeing 787 aircraft, which are designed by third-party suppliers. A total of 4 Dreamlifters were put into operation.

The Boeing 747 LCF is unprepossessing in appearance and has even been compared to the Wienermobile, a bun-shaped car used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States. And Boeing CEO Scott Carson jokingly apologized to Joe Sutter, head of the Boeing 747 development team, for what he did to his plane.

Role: passenger airliner.

Developer: Boeing.

Boeing knows how to develop aircraft that set records. The 747-8 became the longest passenger aircraft in the world. Its length is 76.4 meters.

The Boeing 747-8 is a representative of the new generation of the Boeing 747 series (eighth on our list). It features a longer fuselage, an improved wing and greater economic efficiency.

Role: passenger airliner.

Developer: Boeing.

Once upon a time, when asked what the largest aircraft in the world is in terms of passenger capacity, the designers of the double-deck Boeing 747 proudly answered: “Ours”! Depending on the modification, the aircraft can accommodate up to 624 passengers on board. But then the Airbus A380 appeared and displaced the Boeing 747 from the pedestal of the most spacious aircraft.

If you watched Casino Royale with Daniel Craig as James Bond, you may remember the SkyFleet S570 airliner that terrorists wanted to blow up. This airliner was a Boeing 747-236B, which was built in 1980 and flew until 2002. A worthy end to a career.

One of the largest air disasters in the world is also associated with the Boeing 747. It occurred in 1977 on the island of Tenerife. In fog, two Boeing 747s collided with each other on the runway, killing 583 people.

Role: transport plane.

Developer: OKB im. O.K. Antonova.

This winged machine, named Antaeus in honor of the invincible giant from ancient Greek myths, is still the world's largest turboprop aircraft.

Transportation of cargo during the war in Afghanistan and during the liquidation of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, transportation of refugees and military personnel from Eastern Europe and neighboring countries - this is not the complete “track record” of the An-22. And in one of the passenger flights organized during the air bridge between Egypt and the Soviet Union in 1972, Antey set a record, taking almost 700 people on board. This is a real hard worker, reliable and unpretentious in operation.

Role: transport plane.

Developer: OKB im. O.K. Antonova.

The top five largest aircraft in the world is opened by a Soviet design, which, until the advent of the Airbus A380 (number four on the list), was considered the largest commercially produced aircraft.

However, no one has yet taken away the title of “largest military aircraft” from the An-124, as well as the title of the world’s most load-bearing serial transport aircraft.

And although the production of “Ruslan”, as Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov called this aircraft, has now been suspended, the existing fleet of aircraft will be modernized. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov in July 2018.

Role: passenger liner.

Developer: Airbus.

The largest passenger aircraft in the world (of mass-produced ones) and one of the largest aircraft on Earth. When you watch a video of one of the largest aircraft in the world, it’s hard to believe that such a colossus is capable of taking off.

The Airbus A380 is capable of carrying up to 853 passengers in economy class configuration. By comparison, the A380's main competitor, the Boeing 747 passenger airliner, carries only 624 people in full economy class configuration.

It's not just airlines that own the luxurious Airbus A380. By order of the Saudi Prince Al-Walid ibn Talal, a private jet was built, which cost the owner $488 million.

Role: passenger liner.

Developer: Airbus.

It is the largest member of the Airbus A340 family and the third longest aircraft in the world (75.36 meters). Aircraft like the Airbus A340 were produced until November 2011, but could not compete with the Boeing 777. However, they still carry out passenger transportation in various countries around the world.

It is curious that during the entire period of operation (since 1993), only five A340 aircraft were lost. However, not a single passenger or crew member died.

Role: cargo airplane.

Developer: OKB im. O.K. Antonova.

It is the largest transport aircraft ever built. Its maximum take-off weight is 640 tons and its payload capacity is 250 tons.

The An-225 is capable of transporting vehicles, construction and military equipment and other large cargo on its fuselage to different parts of the world. But this giant was intended for a different, much more ambitious purpose. It was created as part of the Buran reusable spacecraft project. It was assumed that the An-225 would transport Buran components and the launch vehicle from the place of creation and assembly to the launch site.

The first flight of the Mriya (dream in Ukrainian) took place in December 1988, carrying a Buran weighing sixty tons. However, after the collapse of the USSR, the “dream” was left without work. It began to be used again (after appropriate modernization) only in 2000, for commercial transportation.

And most recently, in September 2018, the giant aircraft set a new record by making a thirteen-hour non-stop flight from the Ukrainian Gostomel to the American Oakland Airport. He covered a distance of 9800 km.

Role: carrier aircraft.

Developer: Scaled Composites.

This huge plane will not carry regular cargo. Rather, it will serve as another way to deliver objects, namely satellites, into the stratosphere before launching them into space orbit. This type of transport will be more reliable and less expensive than traditional rockets.

Unlike the largest aircraft in the world - the Ukrainian Mriya - the American Stratolaunch does not yet fly. Its first demonstration took place in May 2017. In terms of wingspan - 117.3 meters, it is much superior to the An-225 (88.4 meters, respectively). For now Stratolaunch - the aircraft with the largest wingspan in the world.

However, the American is inferior to its Ukrainian “colleague” in terms of maximum take-off weight (589,670 kg and 640,000 kg, respectively) and length (73 meters for Stratolaunch versus 84 meters for the An-225).

The exact dates for new Stratolaunch tests are still unknown. Engineers hope the aircraft will enter service within the next 10 years.

The Airbus A380 is a passenger double-decker (double-decker) jet aircraft. Today it is the largest and most spacious airliner in the world. Officially, its development began in 2000, the first flight was made in 2005, and in 2007 it was fully put into operation by the companies that pre-ordered it.

Review of the Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 has several modifications:

• Basic models Airbus A380-800, 842, 861, 862. The length reaches about 73 meters. The difference lies in the installed engines: GP72XX and Trent 900. The ability to vary the on-board temperature from 18 to 30 degrees Celsius, thanks to internal 16 temperature zones, has become unique;
• A380-800F. Cargo model of an airplane. For some time, Airbus S.A.S. accepted orders for the supply of such a modification, but its production was shelved until the design of the passenger version was fully adjusted. The specific timing is still unknown;
• A380-900. Currently in the design stage. It is 7 meters longer than the original version, and if the aircraft goes into mass production, it will be the longest and most powerful. The possible flight distance will reach 14,200 km;
• A380-1000. It is planned to be the most spacious airliner. In the future, it will be able to accommodate 1,073 passengers exclusively in economy class and 757 people in three classes. The start of use is expected to date from 2020-2025. The length of the aircraft is 87 meters;
• A380plus. This modification is currently being tested. On board it will be able to accommodate 80 more people than in the basic version, and also reduce fuel consumption and operating costs.

Airbus A380 passenger cabin design

Airbus a380-800 Emirates interior diagram

The aircraft has an upper and lower deck, which are connected by two staircases, at the nose and tail of the aircraft. Various modifications of the A380 accommodate first class, business economy and premium economy classes.

First grade

On an Airbus A380 passenger aircraft, as a rule, first class seats are located at the very beginning. Everyone already knows that these places are the best, and the attitude towards the passenger is as if he were a guest of a five-star hotel. Each chair here can be converted into a small bed. The first class section may even have a shower, which is widely used by some airlines.

However, not everything is so smooth and the “suite” also has its drawbacks: these are seats located in the 1st and 4th rows, located in close proximity to the toilet. Also, opposite the 1st row there is a staircase connecting the two decks of the plane, and not every passenger will like such a neighborhood.

Business Class

Business class in the Airbus A380 is located immediately behind the first. There are also comfortable armchairs that can be turned into a bed if desired. The distance between the seats is sufficient, so you can easily stretch your legs to their full length. Passengers are provided with a minibar, which is usually included in the ticket price.

Economy class

On the bottom or main (if the plane consists entirely of one class) there is an economy class. It amounts to 399 seats in the classic layout offered by the manufacturer. The seats here do not lie flat, as in first and business class, but they are quite comfortable. According to the world standard, the distance for the legs between the rows reaches 80 cm. Each passenger has his own screen installed in the back of the previous seat, the ability to watch video, listen to audio, a USB connector and paid Internet. Availability of the latter will depend on the airline.

Best places

As mentioned earlier, the ideal seats on this airliner are in first and business class. In economy you can also get a good job on rows 45, 54 and 82. The seats are located far from the toilets and technical areas, there are no seats in front, which means there is plenty of legroom. Rows 68 and 81 would also be good. They are located near the windows and are considered one of the most comfortable in economy class.

Rows 43, 52, 67 and 80 are considered “average” in terms of convenience. There is enough space between the seats, but technical rooms and a toilet are located nearby, which can cause inconvenience. The worst seats are in row 88. This is where the wall is located, because of which the seat and the toilet room do not recline, where passengers scurry back and forth. It is better to buy tickets here when there are no other options.

Photo of the cabin in economy class:

Main characteristics

The Airbus 380 has a wide fuselage (aisle). It is unique in its kind, which is why it is in great demand among many airlines, both domestic and foreign. The cockpit is the same for all models. Airbus S.A.S. uses this tactic. used to save on crew training.

The Airbus 380 airliner has the following technical characteristics:

• Number of seats as standard - 525;
• Capacity - 853;
• Cabin width - 6.5 m;
• Length - 72.7 m;
• Height - 24.1 m;
• Wing span - 80 m;
• Wing area - 845 sq. m;
• Empty aircraft weight - 276.8 thousand kg;
• Takeoff weight - 560 thousand kg;
• Landing weight - 386 thousand kg;
• Weight without fuel - 361 thousand kg;
• Fuel tank capacity - 310 thousand liters;

Aircraft flight data:

• Maximum flight altitude - 13.1 thousand m;
• The maximum flight distance with a full load is 15 thousand km;
• Run length - 2.9 thousand m;
• Take-off run length - 2 thousand m;
• Engines - 4 R-R Trent 970 or 4 Alliance GP7270.

History of creation

The development of the wide-body aircraft project was started by Airbus S.A.S. back in 1994. Then it was planned to compete with the then monopolist Boeing with its Boeing-747 airliner. Initially, the future brainchild of Airbus had the code name A3XX. The designers wanted to combine two fuselages of the company's largest aircraft at that time, the A340, but this would have led to a significant decrease in flight parameters, an increase in the acceleration length and total weight.

It was decided to use a two-deck model, which gave the car a number of advantages. The project started in 2000, and the amount of planned costs reached 8.8 million euros. The name of the aircraft also has an interesting history. Instead of A340, it received the number A380. In a number of Asian countries, eight is considered a lucky number and this probably served as a positive impetus for customers to purchase an airliner.

Construction was completed in 2005 and the aircraft was demonstrated at the airfield in Toulouse. During the tests, engineers identified errors in the design of the wing and it had to be changed in a timely manner. Tests on the ground and in the air were completed at the end of 2007 and the A380 received European certificates of conformity.

Where is it produced?

Fuselage cross-section

The aircraft is manufactured by the European company Airbus S.A.S., based in Toulouse (France). It also has several offices in Germany, Spain, France and the UK and two factories in Blagnac (a suburb of Toulouse) and Hannover (Germany). The company's activities began in 1969 after the merger of several small European aircraft manufacturing companies. Here, not only passenger aircraft are being developed, but also cargo aircraft, as well as vehicles adapted for military needs.

Cost of different models

The price of different modifications of the A380 can vary greatly. Its growth is also affected by the unstable economic situation in the world. Recently, there has been a steady trend towards higher prices for aircraft. And in general, the airliner itself of this model is considered the most expensive in the entire Airbus family.

The current price of the Airbus A380-800 is US$428 million. The company is still silent about the cost of the models, the production of which is planned to begin in the near future, and the final figure is known only to airlines that have placed pre-orders. Every year prices rise by about 2-3%. A total of 219 vehicles were sold and put into operation, and another 317 are under construction. This information is provided by the official Airbus representative office.

News, modernization, prospects

There are several cases where the order for the A380-800 was placed by important people and famous people. For example, the most common story was about the prince of Saudi Arabia, who bought his own A380 Super Jambo from the company, whose total cost was 488 million US dollars.

There was an opinion that this plane was capable of damaging airport runways, but this turned out to be untrue. The landing gear pressure turned out to be much less than that of its main competitors Boeing 747 and 777. In Russia, the first airport adapted to receive the wide-body A380 was Moscow Domodedovo. The order to rebuild the runway was issued by the air transport agency in Russia.

The A380 is a true world record holder. It has the quietest passenger cabin noise levels, is the most fuel-efficient and largest aircraft available today.

Due to the large size of the aircraft, 597 kg of paint have to be spent on painting it, and the total surface area reaches 10 thousand square meters. m. Also, thanks to the expanded wing area, the airliner's speed is 35 km/h lower than that of its main competitor. This allows you to reduce possible noise at the airport during landing or takeoff.

At the moment, the development of the A380-1000 and A380plus is actively underway. A huge number of airlines have already placed pre-orders for the latest aircraft and passengers can only wait for the modern aircraft to enter service and delight us with their reliable build quality and speed.

Watch a video about the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world.