Most commercial airliners cruise between 460 and 575 mph (740–925 km/h), or roughly Mach 0.78 to Mach 0.85. They take off at about 160–180 mph and touch down at around 150–165 mph. But “how fast does a plane go” depends entirely on the type: a single-engine trainer cruises near 140 mph, while a military jet like the retired SR-71 Blackbird once hit 2,193 mph.
Here’s how typical speeds compare across the main categories:
| Aircraft type | Typical cruise speed | Takeoff speed | Landing speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial airliner | 460–575 mph (Mach 0.78–0.85) | 160–180 mph | 150–165 mph |
| Light/business jet | 480–600 mph | 120–140 mph | 110–130 mph |
| Single-engine piston | 100–180 mph | 55–75 mph | 50–70 mph |
| Turboprop | 250–450 mph | 90–120 mph | 80–110 mph |
| Military fighter jet | 1,200–1,500+ mph (Mach 1.6–2+) | 180–200 mph | 130–155 mph |
Speeds vary with weight, altitude, runway length, and especially wind — a strong tailwind can push an airliner’s ground speed well past its cruise number, which is why some eastbound transatlantic flights briefly exceed 700 mph over the ground.
How Fast Do Commercial Airplanes Go
Big commercial airplanes generally fly in the 550-580 MPH range, but their landing and taking-off speeds are naturally going to be different. Most commercial planes take off at roughly 160 to 180 MPH, while landings take place at approximately 150 to 165 MPH.
As a general rule, airspeed is measured according to the velocity of the plane as it flies through the air. Wind resistance can affect that speed more than anything else, and if takeoff and landing speeds vary it is due to overall weight capacity or runway length, among other factors.
Type Certificate Date Sheets, or TCDSs, are published by the FAA and give the minimum and maximum airplane speed for each type of aircraft. They publish these sheets for every make and model of aircraft in use today and are therefore a great way to get this type of information.
How Fast Do Private Jets Fly
Private jets are among the fastest civilian aircraft flying today. The Cessna Citation X+ holds the title of fastest civilian production jet, with a top speed of Mach 0.935 — about 717 mph. The Gulfstream G650ER is close behind at Mach 0.925 (roughly 704 mph), and the Bombardier Global 7500 and Dassault Falcon 8X both cruise comfortably above 600 mph.
For context, no civilian jet in production today flies supersonic. The last to do so was the Concorde, which cruised at Mach 2.04 — about 1,354 mph — until it was retired in 2003. Several companies, including Boom Supersonic, are now developing new supersonic airliners, but as of 2026 none has entered commercial service.
So while private jets won’t break the sound barrier, the fastest of them will still get you from coast to coast noticeably quicker than a typical airliner.
How Fast Do Military Planes Fly
There are so many different types of military planes that it is difficult to determine an estimated speed, but here are a few facts.
The SR-71 set a record in 1976 when it flew at a very impressive speed of more than 2,100 miles per hour. However, this isn’t as fast as it can go, even though the maximum speed is classified so it’s something we’ll never know.
The AeroVironment RQ-14 Dragon Eye UAV, for example, only flies at around 22 miles per hour, while the Boeing X-37B flies at roughly 10,800 miles per hour. In between these extremes, however, are military planes that fly at 300, 500, and several thousand miles per hour.
If you’re interested in learning the average airplane speed for military aircraft, it is good to keep in mind that many cargo transport planes are extra-large and tend to fly at low speeds, while military combat planes are designed to go much faster. This accounts for the wide differences in the planes’ miles-per-hour numbers.
How Fast Do Single Engine Planes Fly
Of course, there are also single-engine planes, which on average can travel at around 140 miles per hour. Although they are small, their speeds are not high because they are single-engine planes that are also affected by things such as wind resistance and other factors.
On calm days when there isn’t a lot of rough wind, the ground speed of a single-engine plane can be the same as the airspeed. Some single-engine planes can even fly as fast as 250 miles per hour. Some of these planes are much bigger than others, which explains the differences in their overall speed.
In addition, when it comes to airplane speed, many turboprop planes can fly as fast as some jet airliners, although the average speed for this type of plane is roughly 450 miles per hour.
Single-engine planes cover a wide range. A typical training aircraft like the Cessna 172 cruises around 120–140 mph, while high-performance single-engine planes such as the Cirrus SR22 or the turboprop Pilatus PC-12 can reach 200–330 mph. The fastest single-engine production aircraft, the Pilatus PC-12, cruises near 330 mph thanks to its powerful turboprop engine.
Turboprops in general can rival some jet airliners on speed: many cruise around 300–450 mph. The key trade-off is altitude and efficiency — turboprops are most efficient lower and slower, while jets earn their advantage high and fast.
When you purchase an airline ticket, it always gives you a start and end time, but it won’t tell you how fast the plane will be flying once it’s in the air. You can estimate this number if you know the distance between the two cities, but knowing that different planes have different speeds is also a good thing to keep in mind.
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