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Awide-body aircraft, also known as atwin-aisle aircraft and in the largest cases as ajumbo jet, is anairliner with afuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles with seven or more seats abreast.[1] The typicalfuselage diameter is 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft).[2] In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast,[3] allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850[4] passengers. Seven-abreast aircraft typically seat 160 to 260 passengers, eight-abreast 250 to 380, nine- and ten-abreast 350 to 480.[5] The largest wide-body aircraft are over 6 m (20 ft) wide, and can accommodate up to eleven passengers abreast in high-density configurations.
By comparison, a typicalnarrow-body aircraft has a diameter of 3 to 4 m (10 to 13 ft), with a single aisle,[1][6] and seats between two and six people abreast.[7]
Wide-body aircraft were originally designed for a combination of efficiency and passenger comfort and to increase the amount of cargo space.[8] However, airlines quickly gave in to economic factors, and reduced the extra passenger space in order to insert more seats and increase revenue and profits.[9] Wide-body aircraft are also used by commercialcargo airlines,[10] along with other specialized uses.
By the end of 2017, nearly 8,800 wide-body airplanes had been delivered since 1969, with production peaking at 412 in 2015.[11]
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Following the success of theBoeing 707 andDouglas DC-8 in the late 1950s and early 1960s, airlines began seeking larger aircraft to meet the rising global demand for air travel. Engineers were faced with many challenges as airlines demanded more passenger seats per aircraft, longer ranges and lower operating costs.
Early jet aircraft such as the 707 and DC-8 seated passengers along either side of a single aisle, with no more than six seats per row. Larger aircraft would have to be longer, higher (double-deck aircraft), or wider in order to accommodate a greater number of passenger seats.
Engineers realized having two decks created difficulties in meeting emergency evacuation regulations with the technology available at that time. During the 1960s, it was also believed thatsupersonic airliners would succeed larger, slower planes. Thus, it was believed that most subsonic aircraft would become obsolete for passenger travel and would be eventually converted to freighters. As a result, airline manufacturers opted for a wider fuselage rather than a taller one (the747, and eventually theMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 andLockheed L-1011 TriStar). By adding a second aisle, the wider aircraft could accommodate as many as 10 seats across, but could also be easily converted to a freighter and carry two eight-by-eight freight pallets abreast.[12]
The engineers also opted for creating "stretched" versions of the DC-8 (61, 62 and 63 models), as well as longer versions of Boeing's 707 (-320B and 320C models) and 727 (-200 model); and Douglas' DC-9 (-30, -40, and -50 models), all of which were capable of accommodating more seats than their shorter predecessor versions.
The wide-body age of jet travel began in 1970 with the entry into service of the first wide-body airliner, the four-engined, partial double-deckBoeing 747.[13] Newtrijet wide-body aircraft soon followed, including the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the L-1011 TriStar. The first wide-bodytwinjet, theAirbus A300, entered service in 1974. This period came to be known as the "wide-body wars".[14]
L-1011 TriStars were demonstrated in the USSR in 1974, as Lockheed sought to sell the aircraft to Aeroflot.[15][16] However, in 1976 the Soviet Union launched its own first four-engined wide-body, theIlyushin Il-86.[17]
After the success of the early wide-body aircraft, several subsequent designs came to market over the next two decades, including theBoeing 767 and777, theAirbus A330 andAirbus A340, and theMcDonnell Douglas MD-11. In the "jumbo" category, the capacity of the Boeing 747 was not surpassed until October 2007, when theAirbus A380 entered commercial service with the nickname "Superjumbo".[18] Both the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 "jumbo jets" have four engines each (quad-jets), but the upcomingBoeing 777X ("mini jumbo jet") is a twinjet.[19][20]
In the mid-2000s, rising oil costs in a post-9/11 climate caused airlines to look towards newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Two such examples are theBoeing 787 Dreamliner andAirbus A350 XWB. The proposedComac C929 andC939 may also share this new wide-body market.[citation needed]
The production of the largeBoeing 747-8 and Airbus A380 four-engine, long-haul jets has come to an end as airlines are now preferring the smaller, more efficient Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 twin-engine, long-range airliners.[21]
Although wide-body aircraft have larger frontal areas (and thus greaterform drag) than narrow-body aircraft of similar capacity, they have several advantages over their narrow-body counterparts, such as:
British and Russian designers had proposed wide-body aircraft similar in configuration to theVickers VC10 andDouglas DC-9, but with a wide-body fuselage. The BritishBAC Three-Eleven project did not proceed due to lack of government backing, while the RussianIlyushin Il-86 wide-body proposal eventually gave way to a more conventional wing-mounted engine design, most likely due to the inefficiencies of mounting such large engines on the aft fuselage.
As jet engine power and reliability have increased over the last decades, most of the wide-body aircraft built today have only two engines. Atwinjet design is morefuel-efficient than atrijet orquadjet of similar size.[citation needed] The increased reliability of modern jet engines also allows aircraft to meet theETOPS certification standard, which calculates reasonable safety margins for flights across oceans. The trijet design was dismissed due to higher maintenance and fuel costs compared to a twinjet.[citation needed] However, the heaviest wide-body aircraft, the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8, are built with four engines. The upcoming Boeing 777X-9 twinjet is approaching the capacity of the earlier Boeing 747.[19][20]
The Boeing 777 twinjet features the most powerful jet engine, theGeneral Electric GE90.[23] The early variants have a fan diameter of 312 centimetres (123 in), and the larger GE90-115B has a fan diameter of 325 centimetres (128 in).[24] This is almost as wide as the 3.30 metres (130 in)Fokker 100 fuselage. Complete GE90 engines can only be ferried by outsize cargo aircraft such as theAntonov An-124, presenting logistics problems if a 777 is stranded in a place due to emergency diversions without the proper spare parts. If the fan is removed from the core, then the engines may be shipped on a Boeing 747 Freighter.[25]TheGeneral Electric GE9X, powering the Boeing 777X, is wider than the GE90 by 15 centimetres (6 in).
The 560 tonnes (1,230,000 lb)maximum takeoff weight of the Airbus A380 would not have been possible without the engine technology developed for the Boeing 777 such as contra-rotating spools.[26] ItsTrent 900 engine has a fan diameter of 290 centimetres (116 in), slightly smaller than the GE90 engines on the Boeing 777. The Trent 900 is designed to fit into a Boeing 747-400F freighter for easier transport byair cargo.[27]
The interiors of aircraft, known as theaircraft cabin, have been undergoing evolution since the first passenger aircraft. Today, between one and fourclasses of travel are available on wide-body aircraft.
Bar and lounge areas which were once installed on wide-body aircraft have mostly disappeared, but a few have returned infirst class orbusiness class on theAirbus A340-600,[28]Boeing 777-300ER,[29] and on the Airbus A380.[30]Emirates has installed showers for first-class passengers on the A380; twenty-five minutes are allotted for use of the room, and the shower operates for a maximum of five minutes.[31][32]
Depending on how theairline configures the aircraft, the size andseat pitch of theairline seats will vary significantly.[33] For example, aircraft scheduled for shorter flights are often configured at a higherseat density thanlong-haul aircraft. Due to current economic pressures on the airline industry, high seating densities in theeconomy class cabin are likely to continue.[34]
In some of the largest single-deck wide-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 777, the extra space above the cabin is used for crew rest areas and galley storage.
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The term "jumbo jet" usually refers to the largest variants of wide-body airliners; examples include theBoeing 747 (the first wide-body and original "jumbo jet"),Airbus A380 ("superjumbo jet"), andBoeing 777-9.[19][20] The phrase "jumbo jet" derives fromJumbo, a circus elephant in the 19th century.[35][36]
Aircraft are categorized byICAO according to thewake turbulence they produce. Because wake turbulence is generally related to the weight of an aircraft, these categories are based on one of four weight categories:[37] light, medium, heavy, and super.[38]
Due to their weight, all current wide-body aircraft are categorized as "heavy", or in the case of the A380 in U.S. airspace, "super".
The wake-turbulence category also is used to guide theseparation of aircraft.[39] Super- and heavy-category aircraft require greater separation behind them than those in other categories. In some countries, such as theUnited States, it is a requirement to suffix the aircraft'scall sign with the wordheavy (orsuper) when communicating withair traffic control in certain areas.
Wide-body aircraft are used in science, research, and the military. Some wide-body aircraft are used as flying command posts by the military like theIlyushin Il-80[citation needed] or theBoeing E-4, while theBoeing E-767 is used forairborne early warning and control. New military weapons are tested aboard wide-bodies, as in the laser weapons testing on theBoeing YAL-1. Other wide-body aircraft are used as flying research stations, such as the joint German–U.S.Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Airbus A340,[40] Airbus A380,[41] and Boeing 747[42] four-engine wide-body aircraft are used to test new generations of aircraft engines in flight. A few aircraft have also been converted foraerial firefighting, such as the DC-10-based[43]Tanker 910 and the747-200-basedEvergreen Supertanker.[44]
Some wide-body aircraft are used asVIP transport. To transport those holding the highest offices, Canada uses theAirbus A310, while Russia uses theIlyushin Il-96. Germany replaced its aging Airbus A340 with threeAirbus A350 aircraft. Specially-modified Boeing 747-200s (Boeing VC-25s) are used to transport thePresident of the United States.
Some wide-body aircraft have been modified to enable transport ofoversize cargo. Examples include theAirbus Beluga,Airbus BelugaXL andBoeing Dreamlifter. Twospecially modified Boeing 747s were used to transport the U.S.Space Shuttle, while theAntonov An-225 was initially built to carry theBuran shuttle.
| Model | produced | MTOW (tonnes) | Length | Fuselage width | Cabin width | Economy seats across | Seat width[a] | Number built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing767[45] | 1981–present | 186.9 | 48.51–61.37 m (159 ft 2 in – 201 ft 4 in) | 5.03 metres (16 ft 6 in) | 4.72 metres (15 ft 6 in) | 7: 2-3-2 (HD, 8: 2-4-2) | 18" (16.4") | 1317 (August 2024) |
| AirbusA300[46] | 1974–2007 | 171.7 | 53.61–54.08 m (175 ft 11 in – 177 ft 5 in) | 5.64 m (18 ft 6 in) | 5.28 m (17 ft 4 in) | 8: 2-4-2 (HD, 9: 3-3-3) | 17.2" (16.4") | 561 (discontinued) |
| AirbusA310[47] | 1983–1998 | 164 | 46.66 m (153 ft 1 in) | 8: 2-4-2 | 17.2" | 255 (discontinued) | ||
| AirbusA330[48] | 1994–present | 242 | 58.82–63.67 m (193 ft 0 in – 208 ft 11 in) | 8: 2-4-2 (9: 3-3-3 on5J andD7[49] andJT) | 18" (16.5") | 1555 (November 2022) | ||
| AirbusA340[50] | 1993–2011 | 380 | 59.40–75.36 m (194 ft 11 in – 247 ft 3 in) | 8: 2-4-2 (9: 3-3-3) | 17.8" (16.4") | 380 (discontinued) | ||
| Boeing787[51] | 2007–present | 252.7 | 56.72–68.28 m (186 ft 1 in – 224 ft 0 in) | 5.76 m (18 ft 11 in) | 5.49 m (18 ft 0 in) | 9: 3-3-3 (8: 2-4-2 onJL[52]) | 17.2" | 1142 (August 2024) |
| ComacC929[53] | 2025-(projected) | 245[54] | 63.755 m (209 ft 2.0 in)[54] | 5.92 m (19 ft 5 in) | 5.61 m (18 ft 5 in) | 9: 3-3-3 | 17.9" | - |
| ComacC939[53] | TBA | - | ||||||
| AirbusA350[55] | 2010–present | 316 | 66.61–73.59 m (218.5–241.4 ft) | 5.96 m (235 in) | 5.61 m (221 in) | 9: 3-3-3 (10: 3-4-3 onBF andTX[56]) | 18" (16.5”) | 509 (November 2022) |
| McDonnell DouglasDC-10[57] | 1971–1989 | 259.5 | 51.97 m (170.5 ft) | 6.02 m (237 in) | 5.69 m (224 in) | 9: 2-4-3, 10: 3-4-3 | 18", 16.5" | 446 (discontinued) |
| McDonnell DouglasMD-11[58] | 1990–2001 | 286 | 58.65 m (192.4 ft) | 9: 2-5-2, 10: 3-4-3 | 18", 16.5" | 200 (discontinued) | ||
| LockheedL-1011[59] | 1972–1985 | 231.3 | 54.17–50.05 m (177.7–164.2 ft) | 6.02 m (237 in) | 5.77 m (227 in) | 9: 3-4-2/2-5-2, 10: 3-4-3 | 17.7", 16.5" | 250 (discontinued) |
| IlyushinIl-86 | 1980–1994 | 206 | 60.21 m (197.5 ft) | 6.08 m (239 in) | 5.70 m (224 in) | 9: 3-3-3[60] | 18" | 106 (discontinued) |
| IlyushinIl-96 | 1992-present | 270 | 55.3–63.94 m (181.4–209.8 ft) | 30 (2016) | ||||
| Boeing777[61] | 1993–present | 351.5 | 63.7–73.9 m (209–242 ft) | 6.19 m (244 in) | 5.86 m (231 in) | 9: 3-3-3, 10: 3-4-3 | 18.5", 17" | 1738 (August 2024) |
| Boeing777X[62] | 2019–present | 351.5 | 70.87–76.73 m (232.5–251.7 ft) | 5.94 m (234 in) | 10: 3-4-3 | 17.2" | 4 (January 2021) | |
| Boeing747[63] | 1968–2023 | 447.7 | 56.3–76.25 m (184.7–250.2 ft) | 6.50 m (256 in) | 6.10 m (240 in) up: 3.46 m (136 in) | 10: 3-4-3 (main) 6: 3-3 (upper) | 17.2"/18.5" | 1574 (discontinued) |
| AirbusA380[64] | 2005–2021 | 575 | 72.72 m (238.6 ft) | 7.14 m (281 in) | 6.54 m (257 in) up: 5.80 m (228 in) | 10: 3-4-3 (main) 8: 2-4-2 (upper) | 18" (18") | 254 (discontinued) |
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