Aircraft Photos

Gallery: The World’s Largest Aircraft

Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 02:10 PM ET

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When Stratolaunch's Roc flew for the first time in 2019, it became the world's largest airplane by wingspan. [Courtesy: Stratolaunch]

Key Takeaways:

The article celebrates "mega-planes" and "monsters of aviation" as impressive feats of engineering, showcasing humanity's ever-growing capabilities.
It highlights a diverse range of large aircraft, including current and future record-holders for passenger capacity (Airbus A380), length (Boeing 747-8i), and largest twin-engine airliner (Boeing 777-9).
The showcased giants span historical designs like the Hindenburg and Spruce Goose, modern cargo carriers such as the Antonov An-225 and Boeing Dreamlifter, and military aircraft like the U.S. Air Force C-5.

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Modern mega-planes are truly an awesome sight. They capture our imaginations and truly make us marvel at the ever-growing capabilities of engineering in our lifetime.

Take a look at some of our favorite gargantuan aircraft, and make sure you see our comparisons of these monsters of aviation.

When Boeing’s 777-9 enters service, it will be the world’s largest twin-engine airliner. [Courtesy: Boeing]

The Airlander 10 airship is expected to enter service in 2025. [Courtesy: Hybrid Air Vehicles]

Air France retired its Airbus A380s in 2020. The double-decker remains the world’s largest passenger airliner by capacity. [Photo: Thom Patterson]

Korean Air’s fleet includes the world’s longest aircraft flying today, Boeing’s 747-8i. [Photo: Thom Patterson]

Boeing’s Dreamlifter cargo jet is a modified 747-400. Only four were built. [Photo: Thom Patterson]

Originally developed to carry the Soviet Union’s space shuttle, the Antonov An-225 now transports oversized and extremely heavy equipment. [FLYING archives]

Made mostly of birch wood, the H-4 flew only once – a distance of one mile (1.6 kilometers), for less than a minute in 1947 across California’s Long Beach Harbor. [FLYING archives]

The U.S. Air Force C-5 has been flying since 1968 and is the largest aircraft in the U.S. military fleet. [FLYING archives]

Built in the 1930s, the Hindenburg and its sister airship remain the largest objects ever to fly, according to airships.net. They were 572 feet longer than a Boeing 747-400. [FLYING archives]

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