The Heaviest Planes Ever Built: 12 Giants Ranked by Takeoff Weight (2026)

The heaviest plane ever built is the Antonov An-225 Mriya, with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,410,958 pounds (640,000 kg). It was destroyed near Kyiv in February 2022, so the record belongs to a plane that can no longer fly.

The heaviest plane still flying is the Stratolaunch Roc, rated at 1,300,000 pounds (589,670 kg). The heaviest plane in airline service is the Airbus A380, at 1,267,658 pounds (575,000 kg).

This list ranks fixed-wing aircraft by maximum takeoff weight, as of November 2026. It counts planes that have actually flown, including retired and destroyed ones, and gives each one’s status so you can see what is still in the air.

Rank	Aircraft	Max takeoff weight	Type	Status (Nov 2026)
1	Antonov An-225 Mriya	1,410,958 lb (640,000 kg)	Cargo	Destroyed 2022
2	Stratolaunch Roc	1,300,000 lb (589,670 kg)	Air-launch carrier	Flying hypersonic tests
3	Airbus A380	1,267,658 lb (575,000 kg)	Passenger	In service, production ended 2021
4	Boeing 747-8	987,000 lb (447,700 kg)	Passenger and cargo	In service, production ended 2023
5	Antonov An-124 Ruslan	886,258 lb (402,000 kg)	Cargo	In service
6	Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy	840,000 lb (381,018 kg)	Military cargo	In service
7	Airbus A340-600	837,757 lb (380,000 kg)	Passenger	In service, production ended 2011
8	Boeing 777-300ER and 777-9	775,000 lb (351,534 kg)	Passenger	In service; 777-9 in flight testing
9	Airbus A350-1000	709,888 lb (322,000 kg)	Passenger	In service
10	McDonnell Douglas MD-11	630,500 lb (285,990 kg)	Cargo	Back in service after 2025 to 2026 grounding
11	Tupolev Tu-160	606,271 lb (275,000 kg)	Strategic bomber	In service
12	Ilyushin Il-96M and Il-96T	595,248 lb (270,000 kg)	Passenger and cargo	Il-96 family in service

1. Antonov An-225 Mriya: 1,410,958 lb (640,000 kg)

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,410,958 pounds (640,000 kg). It first flew on December 21, 1988, and only one was ever completed.

It was not always that heavy. As built, it was rated at 600 tonnes, and a $20 million rework between 2000 and 2001, which added a reinforced floor, raised the limit to 640 tonnes.

On September 11, 2001, it carried a record 253.82 tonnes (559,577 lb) of cargo, five main battle tanks, around a 621-mile (1,000 km) closed circuit. On August 11, 2009, it flew the heaviest single item ever sent by air: a generator for a power plant in Armenia that, with its loading frame, weighed 189,980 kg (418,834 lb).

The Mriya was destroyed on February 27, 2022, at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It also tops our list of the biggest aircraft in the world, which ranks overall size rather than weight.

2. Stratolaunch Roc: 1,300,000 lb (589,670 kg)

The Stratolaunch Roc has the highest rated takeoff weight of any plane still flying, 1,300,000 pounds (589,670 kg). It is only about 110,958 pounds lighter than the An-225, and it weighs 500,000 pounds (226,796 kg) empty.

It is two fuselages joined by one enormous wing, with a payload slung between them, and its 385-foot (117 m) wingspan is the widest of any aircraft that has flown. Only one was built.

It first flew on April 13, 2019, from Mojave, California. It now carries Talon-A hypersonic test vehicles, and on March 5, 2024, it released one in flight at about 35,000 feet.

3. Airbus A380: 1,267,658 lb (575,000 kg)

The Airbus A380 is the heaviest passenger plane ever built, at a maximum takeoff weight of 1,267,658 pounds (575,000 kg). That is more than 280,000 pounds heavier than the next airliner on this list, the 747-8.

Its wings were built for a takeoff weight of more than 600 tonnes, to leave room for bigger versions. The planned A380F freighter and the stretched models that would have used that margin were never built.

It first flew on April 27, 2005, and the last one was delivered to Emirates on December 16, 2021. Our ranking of the largest commercial airplanes covers why it still wins on capacity.

4. Boeing 747-8: 987,000 lb (447,700 kg)

The Boeing 747-8 is the heaviest Boeing that has ever flown, with a maximum takeoff weight of 987,000 pounds (447,700 kg). The passenger 747-8I and the 747-8F freighter share the same figure.

During flight testing on August 21, 2010, a 747-8F took off from Victorville, California, at 1,005,000 pounds (455,860 kg), heavier than its own rated limit. The freighter first flew on February 8, 2010, and the passenger version on March 20, 2011.

Boeing stopped building the 747 in 2023, and nothing it builds now comes close. The heaviest 777X, the 777-8, is rated at 805,000 pounds (365,150 kg).

5. Antonov An-124 Ruslan: 886,258 lb (402,000 kg)

The Antonov An-124 Ruslan has a maximum takeoff weight of 886,258 pounds (402,000 kg). It first flew on December 24, 1982, and was the starting point for the An-225.

With the Mriya gone, it is the heaviest Antonov still flying and the workhorse for outsize cargo. One An-124-100 was converted to a 420-tonne version with uprated engines, but the standard aircraft is rated at 402 tonnes.

Our ranking of the largest cargo planes compares the An-124 and the C-5M by payload, which is the number that matters to a shipper.

6. Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy: 840,000 lb (381,018 kg)

The C-5M Super Galaxy is the heaviest military plane flying in the West, at a maximum takeoff weight of 840,000 pounds (381,018 kg). The C-5 first flew on June 30, 1968.

The US Air Force upgraded its fleet to the C-5M standard, and the last of 52 C-5Ms was delivered to Air Mobility Command in August 2018. In 2009 a C-5M carried 176,610 pounds (80,109 kg) of payload to more than 41,100 feet, one of 41 records it set that year.

7. Airbus A340-600: 837,757 lb (380,000 kg)

The Airbus A340-600 in its High Gross Weight version is rated at 837,757 pounds (380,000 kg). That puts a four-engine airliner within 2,243 pounds of the C-5M.

The heavier version first flew on November 18, 2005. Airbus announced the end of A340 production in November 2011, so the jets still flying are aging.

8. Boeing 777-300ER and 777-9: 775,000 lb (351,534 kg)

The Boeing 777-300ER and the new Boeing 777-9 share a maximum takeoff weight of 775,000 pounds (351,534 kg). That makes them the heaviest twin-engine planes that have flown.

The 777-9 first flew on January 25, 2020, and is still in flight testing, with first deliveries planned for 2027. The shorter 777-8 is rated even heavier, at 805,000 pounds (365,150 kg), but it has not flown yet, so it stays off this list.

9. Airbus A350-1000: 709,888 lb (322,000 kg)

The Airbus A350-1000 is rated at 709,888 pounds (322,000 kg), after Airbus raised it again in October 2023. It started at 308 tonnes, so the type has gained 14 tonnes of takeoff weight in service.

It is the heaviest plane Airbus still builds, and it rides on six-wheel main landing gear to spread that load.

10. McDonnell Douglas MD-11: 630,500 lb (285,990 kg)

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, in its later high-weight form, is rated at 630,500 pounds (285,990 kg). It first flew on January 10, 1990, and is the heaviest three-engine plane on this list.

The FAA grounded every MD-11 on November 8, 2025, after a UPS MD-11 crashed in Louisville, Kentucky. UPS retired its fleet for good in January 2026, and the grounding was lifted on May 11, 2026, so FedEx and Western Global could bring theirs back. Our story on who still flies the MD-11 follows that fleet.

11. Tupolev Tu-160: 606,271 lb (275,000 kg)

The Tupolev Tu-160 is the heaviest combat aircraft on this list, with a maximum takeoff weight of 606,271 pounds (275,000 kg). It first flew on December 18, 1981.

That is 118,271 pounds more than the B-52 Stratofortress, at 488,000 pounds (221,353 kg). The Tu-160 is a swing-wing supersonic bomber, and Russia has been building new ones again since 2021.

12. Ilyushin Il-96M and Il-96T: 595,248 lb (270,000 kg)

The stretched Il-96M and the Il-96T freighter are rated at 595,248 pounds (270,000 kg), the heaviest versions of Russia’s four-engine long-haul widebody. The Il-96M is 15 tonnes heavier than the original Il-96-300.

The Il-96 family entered service with Aeroflot on December 29, 1992. A customized Il-96-300, the Il-96-300PU, is the main aircraft of the Russian presidential fleet.

Heavy Planes That Just Missed the List

The C-17 Globemaster III misses the top 12 by only 10,248 pounds, with a maximum takeoff weight of 585,000 pounds (265,352 kg). The KC-10 Extender tanker, rated at 590,000 pounds, belongs to the same DC-10 family as the MD-11.

Even the heaviest Boeing 787, a 787-9 with increased takeoff weight, is rated at 571,500 pounds (259,228 kg), below the C-17.

Weight, Size and Payload Are Three Different Records

“Biggest” and “heaviest” get used as if they mean the same thing, but they crown different planes. By wingspan, the Stratolaunch Roc wins easily at 385 feet. By takeoff weight, the An-225 still holds the record.

Payload is a third record, and the An-225 held that one too, with 253.82 tonnes (559,577 lb) in 2001. Nothing still flying has matched it.

FAQ

What is the heaviest plane in the world?

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is the heaviest plane ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,410,958 pounds (640,000 kg). It was destroyed at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv on February 27, 2022, so the record now belongs to a plane that cannot fly.

What is the heaviest plane still flying?

The Stratolaunch Roc has the highest rated takeoff weight of any plane still flying, 1,300,000 pounds (589,670 kg). Only one exists, and it carries hypersonic test vehicles. The heaviest plane in airline service is the Airbus A380, at 1,267,658 pounds (575,000 kg).

What is the heaviest passenger plane?

The Airbus A380 is the heaviest passenger plane ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,267,658 pounds (575,000 kg). The next heaviest airliner, the Boeing 747-8, is rated at 987,000 pounds (447,700 kg).

Is the Antonov bigger than the 747?

The An-225 was much heavier than any 747, at 1,410,958 pounds against 987,000 pounds for the 747-8. The An-124 is a different story: the 747-8 can take off about 100,742 pounds heavier than an An-124, though the Antonov is built to carry bulkier cargo.

How heavy is a Boeing 747?

The heaviest 747, the 747-8, has a maximum takeoff weight of 987,000 pounds (447,700 kg). In a 2010 test, a 747-8F took off at 1,005,000 pounds (455,860 kg), above its rated limit.

What is the heaviest military plane?

The heaviest military plane flying in the West is the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy, at 840,000 pounds (381,018 kg). The heaviest combat aircraft on our list is the Tupolev Tu-160 bomber, at 606,271 pounds (275,000 kg), well above the B-52’s 488,000 pounds.

What is the heaviest thing ever carried by a plane?

The heaviest single item ever sent by air was a power plant generator flown by the An-225 on August 11, 2009, weighing 189,980 kg (418,834 lb) with its loading frame. The heaviest total load was 253.82 tonnes of cargo, five main battle tanks, carried by the same plane in 2001.

What is the heaviest twin-engine plane?

The Boeing 777-300ER and 777-9 are the heaviest twin-engine planes that have flown, both rated at 775,000 pounds (351,534 kg). The 777-8 is rated at 805,000 pounds but has not flown yet.