Air transportation is a major way to travel far away areas in a small frame of time. Helicopters and airplanes are the two major vehicles that are useful for this purpose. There have been several aircraft companies producing planes of various models. However, Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 are the most common ones.
Summary
Airbus A380 vs Boeing 747
The main difference between Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 is that Airbus A380 is a relatively young model of an airplane having been introduced to the world in 2005. On the other hand, Boeing 747 is an older model of the airplane which has been in use for 50 years. The experience of these two airplane models is what is the central difference between them.
Airbus A380 is a product of Airbus, as can be easily inferred. It has a large body which makes it one of the largest airliners in the world. It was introduced on the 25th of October in 2007 with Singapore Airlines and its range of flight is 15,200 km. The Airbus A380 weighs around 1,265,000 pounds and has one of the largest wingspans.
Boeing 747 is manufactured by the Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the USA. The first flight of this model of the airplane was on February 9th, 1969, and more than 1500 such airplanes have been made and delivered to airline companies since then. Its wingspan is 195 ft and it can carry nearly 50000 gallons of fuel.
Comparison Table Between Airbus A380 and Boeing 747
| Parameters of Comparison | Airbus A380 | Boeing 747 |
| First Flight | The first flight of Airbus A380 took off on the 27th of April in 2005. | The first flight of the Boeing 747 took off on the 9th of February in 1969. |
| Upper Deck | It has an upper deck throughout its body. | It has an upper deck making a hump in only the front part of the airplane. |
| Size | The Airbus A380 has a size of about 72.72 meters. | The size of the Boeing 747 differs from its variants. |
| Height | The height of the Airbus A380 is 24.09 meters. | The height of all the variants of Boeing range between 19.3 to 19.9 meters. |
| Speed | The maximum cruise speed of an Airbus A380 is 0.89 Mach. | The maximum cruise speed of a Boeing 747 is 0.855 Mach. |
What is Airbus A380?
Airbus A380 is one of the latest models in the field of aircraft. This aircraft counts among the largest passenger-carrying aircraft in the world. The idea to create it was conceived way back in 1988 and work on the project began in 1990. The commercial use of the plane began in 2007 with Singapore Airlines.
Just as Boeing 747, Airbus A380 is a double-decker. However, the similarity ends here as the A380 is a complete double-decker unlike 747 which is a double-decker in only its front portion. The wingspan of the A380 is about 79.75 meters, which is longer than the wingspan of 747’s variants.
The general passenger capacity of the Airbus A380 is 868 passengers. Out of the total 868, 568 can be seated in the main deck while 330 can be seated in the upper deck. However, this differs from the seating arrangement chosen by the airline.
What is Boeing 747?
Boeing 747 is a time-tested aircraft. It has a wide body and is suitable for long-range flights. Boeing 747 has been operational since January 22, 1970, and over 1500 such planes have been made and sold although, only about 500 such aircraft are currently in use. Due to their vast presence of state-of-the-art features, the Boeing 747 is rightly called the ‘Queen of the Skies’.
The Boeing 747 has been in the market for nearly half a century. This might not have been possible without continued improvement in the original product. The original variant of the Boeing 747 was called 747-100. After this, models like 747-400 and 747-8 were launched.
The Boeing 747 has an iconic design in its front part. Although the aircraft has an upper deck, it does not stretch throughout the aircraft. This gives the aircraft a distinct look from the outside, like a hump. This feature makes the Boeing 747 one of the most easily recognizable aircraft.
Main Differences Between Airbus A380 and Boeing 747
- Boeing 747 is a versatile aircraft. There are several variants of this model while Airbus A380 is an aircraft of the relatively latest model. While the A380 has been in use not before 2007, the 747 is in use since 1969.
- The front look of the Airbus A380 differs from that of the Boeing 747. Unlike A380, the 747 has a front deck on its front which gives it a hump shape. This helps to easily identify the 747.
- The size of the Airbus A380 is 72.72 meters while the size of the Boeing 747 is different for different variants. The 747SP and the 747-8 have a size of about 56.3 meters and 76.25 meters respectively.
- The height of the A380 is about 24.09 meters while that of the 747 is between 19.3 and 19.9 meters.
- The maximum cruise speed of the Airbus A380 is more than that of the Boeing 747. While the speed of A380 is 0.89 Mach, the speed of the variants of 747 is around 0.855 Mach.
Conclusion
Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 are the two greatly-used aircraft in the air transport industry. Airbus A380 is one of the latest aircraft and has a higher passenger capacity than Boeing 747. One of the objectives behind the launch of the Airbus A380 was to challenge the market dominance of the Boeing 747, however, according to many studies, this has not been much successful.
Boeing 747 is one of the most time-tested aircraft. It has been in use since 1969 and continues to dominants the market. There are three classic variants of the Boeing 747, namely, Boeing 747-300, Boeing 747-400, and Boeing 747-8.