The two largest widebody aircraft ever to be built are the Boeing 747 and the Boeing 777. These two aircraft are each massive intercontinental airliners that feature passenger cabins with two passenger aisles. They each seat hundreds of passengers and serve some of the most important routes between global transit hubs. Each of these aircraft has had a significant impact on the passenger air travel market, and both types remain in service today after decades of operation.
The latest model from the Boeing 747 family is the dynamic Boeing 747-8. This jet was built in both an international passenger and freighter variation. The newest version of the Boeing 777 is the upcoming Boeing 777X, an aircraft that will be the largest passenger twin-engine jet to take to the skies. Let’s take a look at these two aircraft and attempt to determine what sets these two massive jets apart.
A Deeper Look At The Boeing 747 And Everything It Brought To The Table
The Boeing 747, which was more famously known as the “Jumbo Jet,” first took to the skies in 1970, and it transformed the world of global commercial aviation primarily by making air travel affordable to the average person. A jet developed in just 28 months after Pan American World Airways requested an aircraft more than two times the size of the Boeing 707. The aircraft introduced the first two-aisle aircraft cabin, and it could originally seat 366 passengers across three different classes of service. The aircraft could be recognized by its distinctive hump, which was the result of raising the cockpit above the main deck.
The aircraft itself was powered by four high-bypass turbofan engines, with Pratt & Whitney JT9D originally powering the jet. Four redundant hydraulic systems, triple-slotted flaps, and 16-wheel landing gear meant that the Boeing 747 could operate from existing runways while also carrying weights that exceeded 700,000 pounds. Later, winglets improved the aircraft’s range and also increased its capacity while upgrading the jet with modern technology. The Boeing 747-200, Boeing 747-300, and ultra-long-range Boeing 747 SP all serve unique purposes. The Boeing 747-400’s primary improvement was the addition of winglets, while the Boeing 747-8 includes new GEnx engines and a massive 251-foot fuselage.
From 1968 to 2022, Boeing built more than 1,500 Boeing 747 jets, including specialized freighter and military variants. However, the increased costs of fuel and the higher maintenance costs associated with four-engine aircraft ultimately made the Boeing 747 somewhat unattractive for airlines to operate. Throughout a 54-year production run, the aircraft undoubtedly proved its value, completing record-breaking flights while also becoming the backbone of international flights across the world.
A Deeper Look At The Boeing 777X And What It Will Bring To The Table
The Boeing 777X is the next-generation widebody aircraft currently under development by manufacturer Boeing. This jet will be the next version of the popular Boeing 777, an aircraft family that has become one of the best-selling of all time. The Boeing 777X will feature advanced technology and offer lower fuel burn, helping the company compete directly with the popular Airbus A350. Currently, there are two different 777X variants in the works, including the stretched Boeing 777-9, which will become the manufacturer’s largest aircraft in production.
The Boeing 777-9 will seat around 425 passengers in a traditional configuration, and it will be capable of flying over 7,200 nautical miles. The shorter Boeing 777-8 will offer around 400 seats with an extended range of 8,700 nautical miles. All of these performance improvements are possible due to the introduction of new General Electric 105,000-pound engines, which will be the world’s largest. The aircraft will also feature a carbon-fiber wing that features 11-foot folding wingtips. The Boeing 777X undoubtedly promises to have a major impact on the market, with a 10-15% lower fuel burn per seat than the earlier-generation Boeing 777-300ER, which serves as the backbone of many international fleets today.
The first Boeing 777-9 took to the skies for the first time in January 2020, and four different prototypes have been able to accumulate more than 1,000 flight hours. The certification process for this aircraft was slowed by engine issues and stricter scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration following the manufacturer’s Boeing 737 MAX safety crisis. Currently, delivery of the first Boeing 777X jets will take place in 2026, with Lufthansa slated to be the inaugural operator, according to One Mile At A Time. Boeing has more than 500 orders for the aircraft.
What Is Tough About Deciding Which Aircraft Is Larger?
The principal objective of this discussion is to come to a firm conclusion as to which of these two aircraft types is larger. The answer is complex and full of nuance because there are several ways to measure how “large” an aircraft is. This challenge is more difficult due to the fact that there are more than a handful of different Boeing 777 and Boeing 747 variants, all of which were designed for their own specific purpose.
As a result, the question itself is difficult to answer, not just due to the large number of variants, but also because people measure how large an aircraft is in a couple of different ways. Engineers are likely to measure the size of an aircraft by physical attributes, such as its length, maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), or wingspan. Industry analysts and airline economists might consider the jet’s capacity its most important factor.
However, it is still important for us to come to some kind of conclusion as to which of these jets is actually larger. Therefore, let’s look at the variants of the Boeing 777X and the Boeing 747-8, the latest version of the iconic Jumbo Jet family.
Is A Boeing 777X Bigger Than An Airbus A380?
The size of the Boeing 777X explained, and what it means for the “minijumbo’s” future.
A Deeper Look At These Two Models’ Specifications
The latest twin-engine model from Boeing, the Boeing 777X, targets the capacity gap between the massive and lumbering Boeing 747-8, which is powered by four engines, and other smaller widebodies. The upcoming Boeing 777-9 will be a little over a meter longer than the Boeing 747-8, but it will carry around 40 fewer passengers in a traditional three-class configuration. This means the aircraft can accommodate around 350 passengers.
The Boeing 777X will be powered by a pair of GE9X engines that are rated at 110,000 pounds of thrust each. The large Boeing 777-9 will be capable of flying more than 7,200 nautical miles, but it will still fall more than 400 nautical miles short of the Jumbo Jet’s capabilities. As previously mentioned, the smaller Boeing 777-8 can fly even further.
When it comes to freighters, the upcoming Boeing 777-8F freight variant will be capable of hauling over 247,000 pounds of freight, while the Boeing 747-8F could carry far more at up to 292,400 pounds. The Boeing 747-8F, however, does this with twice as many engines and thus significantly higher operational costs than its younger cousin, the Boeing 777-8F, will.
So, Which Of The Two Aircraft Is Larger?
The answer to this question, based on the specifications we have just discussed, is extremely difficult to come to a firm conclusion on. If you measure an aircraft’s size by the length of its fuselage, then the Boeing 777-9 would be the largest aircraft to belong to either the Boeing 777 or the Boeing 747 families.
The aircraft is more than 250 feet long, an astounding length for an aircraft powered by two engines. There were, however, a number of metrics that one could use to make the case that the Boeing 747-8I is actually the larger aircraft. Powered by four massive turbofans, the aircraft can carry more passengers and cargo than the 777X.
As a result, the Boeing 777X is larger when it comes to many physical attributes. This includes length as well as wingspan, where its wingspan exceeds that of the Boeing 747-8 by around 10 feet, according to official specifications published by Boeing. From a financial management perspective, the Boeing 747 is definitely the largest aircraft based on the number of seats it can offer a carrier.
What Does The Future Hold For The Boeing 747 And The Boeing 777X?
The future holds quite different things for these two dynamic aircraft models. The Boeing 747’s time in our skies is slowly coming to a close, with airlines beginning to phase out the last operational models.
The same, however, cannot be said for the Boeing 777X, which has not even been certified and has yet to even begin having a true impact on the market. The Boeing 777X is shaping up to be the manufacturer’s new flagship widebody jet.
Therefore, in an era where airport congestion is becoming an even bigger issue, the idea that a large commercial widebody with good fuel economics would be extremely successful is quite believable. We will simply have to wait and see what exactly the future could hold for Boeing’s largest widebody aircraft.
