How the world’s most popular long-haul aircraft compare

Just 122 years have passed since the Wright brothers first took to the air amid the coastal dunes of North Carolina. You can only imagine the incredulity that would wash across the faces of those two pioneers were you able to show them the largest planes of the 21st century.

In their basic details, there is no difference between the Kitty Hawk of 1903 and the A380 of the present day, but the comparative size and scale of the latter – a condor stood next to a finch – makes clear just how far aviation has developed in 12 decades.

Any number of modern-day aircraft would surely make Wilbur and Orville’s eyes boggle, but the six airborne giants analysed here – the biggest workhorses of the industry – are surely the most impressive. How far can they fly? And how many people can they hold? From the trusty jumbo jet to the sleek Dreamliner, the key statistics are revealed below…

Boeing 747

• Number in service: 424
• Primary operator: Atlas Air (cargo; 61); Lufthansa (passenger; 27)
• First passenger flight: January 22, 1970 (Pan Am)
• Maximum passenger capacity: 660

The oldest of the aviation workhorses is also arguably the greatest aircraft ever; a giant which helped to transform long-distance international travel from a relatively niche pursuit into a widely accessible concept when it first barrelled down the runway at the start of the 1970s.

True, its age has seen it superseded by younger planes (although the final iteration, the 747-8, made its commercial debut as recently as June 1, 2012) – while the sheer number made (1574) all but ensured that the “jumbo jet” would suffer several dark hours (the deadliest plane crash ever, the Tenerife Air Disaster of 1977, involved two 747s). Nonetheless, Boeing’s biggest triumph is still in the skies over half a century after its launch. Lufthansa, its most loyal friend, plans to keep it there well into the 2030s.

Coolest design quirk The fabled “upper deck” in the distinctive “hump” behind the cockpit – a handy attic-space that has been used for up to 110 extra seats, or a private bar.

Longest non-stop flight An ongoing tussle between two major carriers. Technically, Korean Air wears the crown, thanks to its regular 747-8i service between Seoul and Atlanta; a not-so-small matter of 11,542 kilometres. But Lufthansa’s link between Frankfurt and Buenos Aires (11,479 kilometres, also using the 747-8i) steps in to take the record when Korean uses the smaller 777-300ER on its Atlanta route (as it has on various occasions this year).

Airbus A330

• Number in service: 1,463
• Primary operator: Delta (81)
• First passenger flight: January 17, 1994 (Air Inter)
• Maximum passenger capacity: 440 (A330-300)

Even if you have flown only occasionally in the last three decades, there is a fair chance that, if you have been travelling any significant distance, you will have boarded an A330. Simply, this doughty footsoldier of the Airbus army puts the “long” into “longevity” – both in the distance it is capable of (a maximum 15,000 kilometres in the case of the A330-800), and in its remarkable shelf-life; almost 32 years on from its launch, it is one of the most commonplace wide-body airliners in the heavens.

While its record is not without significant blemishes (the plunging of Air France Flight 447 into the Atlantic on June 1, 2009, partly due to malfunctioning air-speed gauges, remains one of this century’s most shocking air disasters), the plane’s reliability is visible in the sheer number of variants to have followed the original. The A330 has evolved through more than 10 iterations, The latest of these – the A330-900 – enjoyed its maiden flight as recently as December 2018.

Coolest design quirk The tilted landing gear, which absorbs the plane’s impact with the runway more evenly and efficiently than other aircraft. Pilots have been known to refer to the A330 as the “Butter Machine”, in tribute to the general smoothness of its touchdowns.

Longest non-stop flight Qantas operates a daily service between Brisbane and Los Angeles, sometimes using an A330-200, whose trans-Pacific odyssey tips the scales at 11,528 kilometres.

Boeing 777

• Number in service: 1,259
• Primary operator: Emirates (133)
• First passenger flight: June 7 1995 (United Airlines)
• Maximum passenger capacity: 550

You know an airliner has been a success when it picks up a nickname. So it is with the Boeing 777 – which, almost as of its initial sketch on the Seattle drawing-board in 1988, has been the “Triple Seven”. Conceived as a next-generation bridge between the smaller 767 and the colossal 747, the 777 took shape as the world’s largest twin-engine jet.

In the 30 years since its advent, it has become all but ubiquitous, finding a place in the fleets of more than 110 airlines. At the heart of its popularity are its capacity and its stamina – the 777-300 can accommodate 368 paying guests; the 777-300ER has a maximum range of 15,836 kilometres.

Its widespread use over three decades has inevitably led to tragedy – the lost plane in the infamous case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was a 777-200ER – but the 777 is a trusted steed that is not yet ready to be put out to pasture. It has morphed through 11 different models, with the newest – the 777-9 – due to enter passenger service in 2027.

Coolest design quirk The “Triple Seven” boasts the largest landing gear (and the biggest tyres) of any commercial aircraft currently in service – the crux of the matter being the pair of six-wheeled bogies which spread its weight more widely on touchdown.

Longest non-stop flight The Qatar Airways service from Doha to Auckland (14,536 kilometres).

Boeing 787

• Number in service: 1,176
• Primary operator: All Nippon Airways (86)
• First passenger flight: October 26 2011 (All Nippon Airways)
• Maximum passenger capacity: 330

The dawn of the new millennium found Boeing making plans for a 21st century aircraft that could take up the mantle of its 1970s-born stalwart the 767, while shouldering some of the workload of the 747. The result was the 787, better known as the “Dreamliner”.

Its announcement, on January 29 2003, came with a lot of fancy talk about efficiency and forward-thinking designs – the 787 was to be the first airliner with an airframe made primarily of composite materials; it was to be 20 per cent less fuel-hungry than the 767; its engines were to come with noise-reducing modifications.

As of its maiden commercial flight in 2011, in the colours of Japanese carrier ANA, the Dreamliner has largely lived up to these promises. With a maximum range of 15,772 kilometres, it is more than capable of leaping between continents – in 2018, it became the aircraft behind the first non-stop flight between Australia and the UK (the Qantas service between Perth and Heathrow). And in spite of teething troubles, its safety record has been impressive – with the sizeable caveat that the fatal downing of Air India Flight 171 on June 12 this year involved a Dreamliner.

Coolest design quirk The use of LED lighting in the cabins, making the 787 “bulbless”.

Longest non-stop flight That Qantas Perth-London link, all 18 hours and 15,000 kilometres of it.

Airbus A350

• Number in service: 681
• Primary operator: Singapore Airlines (65)
• First passenger flight: January 15, 2015 (Qatar Airways)
• Maximum passenger capacity: 410 (A350-1000)

As soon as Boeing stepped into the 21st century with the Dreamliner, Airbus needed to offer a response. In July 2006, it provided one – having abandoned earlier plans to take on the 787 with a modified version of its existing A330. The decision to start afresh with an entirely new aircraft bore immediate fruit – within four days of the blueprint being unveiled, Singapore Airlines had placed an order for 20 A350s.

Almost two decades on, the Far Eastern carrier remains the aircraft’s biggest devotee – even if the A350 is now found in the fleets of 37 other airlines. In performance, it marginally outmuscles its US competitor. Launched in October 2018 (again via Singapore Airlines), the A350-900ULR (“Ultra Long Range”) has the longest capability of any airliner in service, able to stay in the air for a maximum 18,025 kilometres.

That said, it has not sold as well as its rival. As of December 2025, there are nearly twice as many Dreamliners as A350s in the heavens – even though the former plane’s operational head-start amounted to fewer than four years.

Coolest design quirk The “dimmable” windows which let passengers adjust the levels of daylight to their own tastes – while still enjoying a view of the world below the wing.

Longest non-stop flight As of November 2022, the longest of them all – the Singapore Airlines link between its home runway and New York JFK (19 hours, and 15,348 kilometres).

Airbus A380

• Number in service: 189
• Primary operator: Emirates (116)
• First passenger flight: October 25, 2007 (Singapore Airlines)
• Maximum passenger capacity: 853

It was supposed to be the behemoth which finally supplanted the Boeing 747 as the biggest passenger aircraft in the firmament. And, technically, it did. When Airbus’s gargantuan baby emerged from its Toulouse production hangar in 2005, it promised a new era of super-sized aviation – shrinking the globe with its capacity for almost 900 passengers and crew members, and powered to fly for 14,806 kilometres by four enormous Rolls-Royce Trent 900 (or Engine Alliance GP7200, depending on the airline) engines.

But the A380 has also served as demonstration that big is not always better. Expensive to build (Airbus struggled to recoup the reported $30 billion it cost to develop the aircraft), pricey to fuel and to operate, and difficult to fill to capacity, the “super-jumbo” did not capture airlines’ imaginations in the way that its makers had hoped.

Singapore Airlines and Emirates were early adopters, but widespread demand failed to materialise, and when Emirates cancelled an order for 39 A380s in February 2019, the game was effectively up – with production ceasing in December 2021. The plane is still at work, in the service of 11 airlines, but how long its unmistakable silhouette remains in the sky is anyone’s guess.

Coolest design quirk The “Shower Spa” in the first-class cabin of the Emirates A380 – a fully functioning bathroom that lets premium passengers wash as they would at home.

Longest non-stop flight The Emirates service between Dubai and Auckland (14,200 kilometres).

The Telegraph, London

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