Largest Planes in the World: Airplanes have revolutionised transport system with greater capacity to carry passengers and being the fastest mean of transport.
Airplanes play a major role in military operations and in airlifting of cargo and humans to distant places around the world in very less time. With bigger size of aircrafts, it is possible to carry more passengers and more cargo. This has brought about the rise of biggest airplanes ever seen.Here is look at the top 5 largest airplanes.
1. Antonov An-225 Mriya
It is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed by the Antonov Design Bureau. It is the heaviest aircraft ever by 2017 with a maximum take-off weight of 640 tonnes. This mighty plane is powered by six turbofan engines. It has a quite shorter range at 2,160 nautical miles and a lower maximum cruise speed at 458 knots when compared to an average Turbofan-Powered wide body Commercial Cargo Plane.This plane has the largest wingspan of any plane in operational service. It holds the absolute world record for an airlifted total cargo of 253,820 kg. it is the only one of its kind and has the Ukrainian Civil Registration UR-82060
2. Airbus A380-800
This aircraft by Airbus is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner and is the world’s largest passenger airliner. As the plane’s upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage, it offers a greater usable floor space to provide seating for 525 passengers in a standard three-class configuration.
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It has a design range of 8,500 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 490 knots at cruising altitude. The unit cost of this aircraft is about US$432 million.
3. Boeing 747-8i
It is a wide-body commercial jet airliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It has lengthened fuselage, redesigned wings than the predecessors of 747 family. Boeing 747-8i has a passenger capacity of 467 in a three class arrangement. This airplane has a range of about 8000 Nautical miles and a cruising speed of Mach 0.855. This plane has the largest commercial aircraft built in the United States. The unit cost of the airplane is about US$ 379 million.
4. Boeing 747-400
This wide body, commercial jetliner often recognised by the distinctive upper deck along the forward part of the aircraft. It is the most common passenger version of Boeing 747. This aircraft has a high-subsonic cruise speed of Mach 0.85 with a range of 7,670 nautical miles. It can accommodate 416 passengers in a standard three-class layout and about 660 passengers in a high-density one-class arrangement. British Airways are the largest operators of this model. The unit cost of this aircraft is about US$234 million.
5. Airbus A340-600
This is a long-range, wide-body, four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner produced by the European Aerospace company Airbus in 1993. It has a range of 7,900 nautical miles and is powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines. It has a fuel-saving Aerodynamic design with weight saving composite structures. The plane offers the operators unparalleled space, comfort with a seating capacity of 350 passengers in the typical three-class arrangement and about 475 in high density seating. Largest Planes in the World.