Top 10 Largest Airplanes in the World (From the Antonov to the A380)

“Mriya” means “Dream” in Ukrainian. This airplane was literally and figuratively a dream for plane spotters. There was only one in the whole world. Originally built to carry the Soviet space shuttle (the Buran) on its back, it was later used for extremely heavy cargo transport.

The loss of this aircraft in 2022 was a shock to the aviation world, although the Ukrainian government has announced plans to build a new one from the remains of an unfinished sister aircraft.

If you look at wingspan, this is the undisputed winner. The Stratolaunch looks like two airplanes glued together. With a wingspan of 117 meters, it is wider than a football field is long.

The purpose of this strange contraption is not to carry passengers, but to launch hypersonic vehicles and rockets from high altitude. The pilots sit in the right fuselage, while the left fuselage is unmanned and packed with electronics.

The king of holiday flights. The A380 is a flying apartment building with two full decks along its entire length. In an all-economy layout, more than 850 people would fit inside, although most airlines opt for luxury with bars and showers. Unfortunately, it is no longer being built because it was too expensive for many airlines to fill, but Airbus guarantees they will keep flying for decades to come.

Now that its big brother (number 1) is gone, the An-124 is the largest military transport aircraft still in active service. It is the backbone of heavy air transport. The nose of the aircraft can fold upward, after which the plane can 'kneel' on its landing gear. This allows trains, yachts or helicopters to be driven straight inside.

This is the US Air Force's answer to the Russian Antonovs. The C-5 Galaxy is a flying warehouse. The sound of its engines is notorious; you hear it minutes before you see it. It can take off fully loaded and fly to the other side of the world without landing, provided it is refueled in the air by a tanker aircraft.

The classic 'Jumbo Jet' with the famous hump. The 747-8 is the last and longest version of this icon. It is even longer than the Airbus A380. Although most airlines use it for cargo, Lufthansa still flies it as a passenger aircraft. Many consider it the most elegant large airplane ever designed.

You don't need to be an expert to see what this airplane looks like. With its huge bulging forehead and painted eyes and smile, it is the spitting image of a beluga whale. This aircraft was specially built to transport wings of other Airbus aircraft between factories in Europe. Aerodynamically it looks like a brick, but it works perfectly.

Like Airbus, Boeing needed a way to transport large aircraft parts (such as the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner). Their solution? They took an old 747 and inflated it like a balloon. The result is the Dreamlifter. It won't win any beauty contests – the tail swings open like a huge door – but it has a gigantic cargo hold.

A historical detour. This 1947 airplane has the largest wingspan of any aircraft that ever landed on water. The bizarre part: it is made almost entirely of wood (birch, not spruce, despite the nickname) due to wartime metal shortages. The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum now displays this unique piece of history, after eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes flew it only once, for 26 seconds.

We close with the largest combat aircraft in the world. The Tu-160 is a supersonic bomber from Russia. Despite its enormous size and weight, it is incredibly fast (more than 2,000 km/h) and elegant, earning it the nickname 'White Swan'. Pilots can sweep the wings back for extra speed.

Watch the last footage of the majestic Antonov An-225 in action here (YouTube)