Airliner

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

The biggest airliners are known as wide-body jets because they have two separate 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, called narrow-body jets or single-aisle planes, are more common. They usually fly shorter distances and carry fewer people than the big wide-body jets.

There are also smaller planes known as 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, making up the “spokes” in the hub-and-spoke travel system. Some of the tiniest 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 took to the skies. 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, but it faced problems that taught engineers important lessons. 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 usually used for shorter flights with 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, are more reliable, and are quieter than older piston engines. They also use the same type of fuel, which makes travel easier and more efficient.

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

Modern jetliners are usually low-wing designs with two engines mounted underneath the swept wings. This setup helps spread the weight more evenly, making the wings stronger. The Antonov An-148 is a special jetliner with high-mounted wings, which can help protect it on rough runways.

Scientists and airplane makers are working on a new design called the blended wing body. In this design, the whole plane helps push it up in the air, which could make flights more fuel efficient.

Current manufacturers

The major manufacturers 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 lead the market for both narrow-body and wide-body airliners. The regional airliner market is shared among ATR Aircraft, De Havilland Canada, and Embraer. Providing good customer support is very important for these companies to succeed.

Notable airliners

Some of the most important airliners in history include the Boeing 247, which was the first modern airliner with all-metal construction, and the Douglas DC-3, which is still in use today. The Boeing 307 Stratoliner was the first airliner with a pressurized cabin, while the De Havilland Comet was the first operational jetliner.

Other notable planes are the Boeing 707, one of the most successful early jetliners, and the Boeing 747, the first wide-body aircraft. The Airbus A380 holds the title of the largest passenger airliner, and the Boeing 737 is the most delivered jet airliner before October 2025.

In production aircraft

Airliners are special kinds of 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 of these were in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by North America and Europe.

Most airliners are small, narrow-body planes, but 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, which is fewer than in earlier years.

Market

Since the beginning of jet airliners, there has often been a pattern of seven years of growth followed by three years of fewer deliveries. However, from 2004, growth has been steady, partly because of the economic rise of China. In 2016, most deliveries were to airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by Europe and North America.

The demand for new airliners depends on factors like the world's economy, oil prices, and how profitable airlines are. In 2020, the number of deliveries 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, though a few were delayed because of problems. Older planes and their parts became more valuable because fewer new planes were coming in, and some special repair shops had more work to do on older engines.

Cabin configurations and features

Main article: Aircraft cabin

Airliners usually have different classes of seating, 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.