A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft. Click to enlarge.
Ranges and payloads for various large airplanes

Short list of operational Very Large Airplanes with more than 416 passengers[1] or 100 tons load capacity.
A few airplanes with special characteristics are also included. For a more complete list of aircraft (planes and rotorcraft, past and future), see List of large aircraft

Fixed-wing

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Civilian

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Aircraft First flight Number built Max. Number flying Note
Antonov An-225 21 December 1988 1½ ? 1 The largest and heaviest aircraft in the world (max. takeoff weight greater than 600 t)
Antonov An-124 1982 56 52 The second largest mass-produced aircraft in the world once the Airbus A380 was produced
Antonov An-22 27 February 1965 68 45 World's largest turboprop-powered airplane
Airbus Beluga 13 September 1994 5 5 Airbus replacement for the Super Guppy. Based on the A300-600
Airbus A340-600 25 October 1991 96 94 World's second longest passenger aircraft
Airbus A380 27 April 2005 27 27 Largest mass-produced aircraft in the world and the highest-capacity passenger aircraft
Boeing 747 9 February 1969 1418 1370 The largest jetliner for 35 years. Derivatives: Boeing 747-8 World's longest passenger aircraft.
Boeing Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 1976 2 2 Derivative of the 747, used to transport the Space Shuttle
Boeing 747 LCF 9 September 2006 4 4 Derivative of the 747, massive volume for 787 parts transport (65,000 cubic feet)
Boeing 777 12 June 1994 860 Largest twin-engined aircraft in the world
Ilyushin Il-96 28 September 1988 22 17

Military

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Aircraft First flight Number built Max. Number flying Note
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress 15 April 1952 744 Strategic bomber used for, so far, more than 50 years
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III 15 September 1991 212
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy 30 June 1968 131 123 Largest American military transport and one of the largest military aircraft in the world
McDonnell Douglas KC-10 1981 64 63 Derivative of the DC-10
Northrop B-2 Spirit 17 July 1989 21 20 Large strategic stealth bomber
Tupolev Tu-95 12 November 1952 500+ Longest serving Tupolev bomber
Tupolev Tu-160 18 December 1981 35 Heaviest combat aircraft ever built

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Chase et al Business case for Very Large Aircraft Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. Retrieved: 8 May 2010.