Airliner

An airliner is a type of airplane made to carry passengers and air cargo. These planes are usually run by companies called airlines. Most modern airliners use jet engines and have a long, tube-like shape called a fuselage.

The biggest airliners are called wide-body jets. They have two walkways, or aisles, in the passenger area. These large planes are often used for long-haul flights between big cities and important travel points called airline hubs.

Smaller airliners are called narrow-body jets or single-aisle planes. They usually fly shorter distances and carry fewer people than the big wide-body jets.

There are also smaller planes called regional airliners. These can carry fewer than 100 passengers and might use different types of engines, such as turbofans or turboprops. They help connect smaller places to the bigger airline hubs. Some very small planes, like the Beechcraft 1900, can seat only 19 people and are used for very short trips.

History

When the Wright brothers made the world's first sustained heavier-than-air flight in 1903, they started a new era in travel. Their flight happened just 11 years before the world's first airliner flew. By the 1960s, airliners had grown and changed the way people lived, worked, and traveled around the world.

In the early days, new airplanes like the Ilya Muromets showed how air travel could carry many people at once. After World War I, many old military planes were turned into passenger planes. Airlines began regular flights between cities, connecting people across far distances. As time passed, airplanes got bigger, faster, and more comfortable. By the 1930s, companies like Pan Am started flying between continents using special planes that could land on water.

The postwar years brought huge changes with the invention of jet engines. The de Havilland Comet became the world's first jet airliner. America and Europe competed to build better, faster planes, leading to exciting new designs. Each step forward made air travel safer, faster, and more available to everyone.

Types

The most common type of airliner is the narrow-body aircraft, also called single-aisle planes. Early jet airliners like the de Havilland Comet, Boeing 707, and Douglas DC-8 were narrow-bodies. Today, popular narrow-body planes include the Airbus A220, A320 family, Boeing 737, and Embraer E-Jet family. These planes are used for shorter flights and carry between 100 and 240 passengers.

Larger wide-body aircraft, which have two aisles, are used for longer flights. The first wide-body was the Boeing 747, and others include the Airbus A330, A350, and Boeing 777. Regional airliners are smaller planes that carry fewer than 100 passengers. They help connect smaller airports to bigger ones and include models like the Bombardier CRJ100/200 and Embraer ERJ family.

Engines

Before the Jet Age, many airplanes used piston engines, like those on the Douglas DC-3. Today, almost all airliners use turbine engines, such as turbofans or turboprops. These engines work better at high altitudes. They are more reliable and quieter than older engines. They also use the same type of fuel, which helps make travel easier.

Airliner variants

Airliners can be changed for different jobs. Some carry only cargo or are used by companies for special trips. Others are used by important people or for jobs in the air force, like carrying fuel or helping sick people. Some even help watch for things from the sky.

Configuration

Most jetliners have their wings low and two engines under the swept wings. This helps share the weight better and makes the wings stronger. The Antonov An-148 is a jetliner with wings mounted high, which can help on rough runways.

Scientists and airplane makers are creating a new design called the blended wing body. In this design, the whole plane helps lift it, which may make flights use less fuel.

Current manufacturers

The big makers of large airliners today include Airbus (France/Germany/Spain/United Kingdom/Canada), Antonov (Ukraine), ATR Aircraft (France/Italy), Boeing (United States), Britten-Norman (United Kingdom), Comac (China), De Havilland Canada (Canada), Embraer (Brazil), Irkut Corporation (Russia), Let Kunovice (Czech Republic), and Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (China).

Airbus and Boeing are the leaders in making both small and large airliners. The market for smaller regional airliners is shared by ATR Aircraft, De Havilland Canada, and Embraer. It is important for these companies to offer good customer support to do well.

Notable airliners

Some important airliners in history include the Boeing 247, the first modern airliner made entirely of metal. The Douglas DC-3 is still flying today. The Boeing 307 Stratoliner was the first airliner with a pressurized cabin. The De Havilland Comet was the first plane to use a jetliner engine.

Other famous planes are the Boeing 707, a very successful early jetliner, and the Boeing 747, the first wide-body aircraft. The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger plane, and the Boeing 737 is the most made jet airliner before October 2025.

In production aircraft

Airliners are special airplanes used to carry people and cargo. Most of these airplanes are run by companies called airlines. Today, the most common type of airliner uses jet engines and has a long, tube-like body. These planes fly all over the world, helping people travel quickly and far.

Fleet

The number of airliners grew from 13,500 in 2000 to 25,700 in 2017. In 2018, there were 29,398 airliners in service around the world. Most were in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by North America and Europe.

Most airliners are small, narrow-body planes. There are also wide-body planes, turboprops, regional jets, and other types. By the end of 2018, about 6% of jetliners were parked or stored.

Market

Since jet airliners began, there has often been a pattern of growth for seven years, then three years with fewer deliveries. But since 2004, growth has been steady. This is partly because of the economic rise of China. In 2016, most new planes went to airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, then Europe, and then North America.

The demand for new airliners depends on the world's economy, oil prices, and how well airlines are doing. In 2020, the number of new planes dropped sharply because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation.

Storage, scrapping and recycling

Main article: Aircraft recycling

When there are more flights, some airplanes that were stored away come back into use. In early 2018, more people were flying, so airlines brought back some planes from storage. This happened while new planes were still being delivered.

Cabin configurations and features

Main article: Aircraft cabin

Airliners have different seating classes, such as first class, business class, and economy class. Seats in higher classes are wider and more comfortable, often with better meals and drinks. Most flights have either two classes or just one, depending on the airline and the type of flight. All cabins have lavatory facilities, reading lights, and air vents. Some bigger planes even have a special rest compartment for crew breaks.

Seats on airplanes can be moved or removed, and airlines decide how much space each passenger gets. Passengers in the exit row usually have more legroom but may need to help during an emergency. Seats are built strong to stay in place during rough air, and many have small screens or trays for eating or watching shows. Overhead bins store passengers' bags, and above the seats are units with lights, air vents, and call buttons for flight attendants. These units also have oxygen masks that drop down if the cabin loses pressure. Airliners also have pressurized cabins to keep passengers safe at high altitudes, where the air is too thin to breathe normally. This pressurization helps the plane fly above bad weather and go faster.

Baggage holds

Airliners need space to store checked baggage — bags that don't fit in the passenger cabin. These storage areas are called baggage holds, cargo bins, or luggage holds. They are usually inside the aircraft's body and are pressurized like the passenger cabin, though they may not be heated.

Narrow-body airliners, which are smaller, often have a special compartment below the floor for baggage. Larger wide-body airliners may use special containers called Unit Load Devices (ULDs) to store baggage and cargo. These containers are loaded onto the plane using special equipment and secured in place for safe flight.