Table of Contents
The largest Boeing aircraft is the Boeing 747-8. With a maximum takeoff weight of 987,000 pounds (447,700 kg), it is the heaviest airplane Boeing has ever put into production, and no other Boeing family comes within 180,000 pounds of it.
It is not the longest, though. The 777-9, still in FAA certification, measures 251 ft 9 in (76.7 m) against the 747-8’s 250 ft 2 in (76.3 m). Its 235 ft 5 in (71.8 m) wingspan is also the widest Boeing has ever flown.
This list ranks Boeing’s aircraft families by maximum takeoff weight, using each family’s heaviest variant. Length and wingspan sit beside it in the table, so you can see where the order would change under either measure.
| # | Aircraft (heaviest variant) | Max takeoff weight | Length | Wingspan | Status (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 747-8 | 987,000 lb (447,700 kg) | 250 ft 2 in (76.3 m) | 224 ft 5 in (68.4 m) | In service, deliveries ended 2023 |
| 2 | 777X (777-8 / 777-9) | 805,000 lb (365,140 kg) | 251 ft 9 in (76.7 m) | 235 ft 5 in (71.8 m) | In certification |
| 3 | 777 (777-300ER) | 775,000 lb (351,530 kg) | 242 ft 4 in (73.9 m) | 212 ft 7 in (64.8 m) | In service |
| 4 | C-17 Globemaster III | 585,000 lb (265,350 kg) | 174 ft (53 m) | 169 ft 10 in (51.8 m) | In service, production ended 2015 |
| 5 | 787 (787-10) | 574,000 lb (260,360 kg) | 224 ft 1 in (68.3 m) | 197 ft 3 in (60.1 m) | In production |
| 6 | B-52H Stratofortress | 488,000 lb (221,350 kg) | 159 ft 4 in (48.6 m) | 185 ft (56.4 m) | In service, built 1952 to 1962 |
| 7 | 767 (767-400ER) | 450,000 lb (204,100 kg) | 201 ft 4 in (61.4 m) | 170 ft 4 in (51.9 m) | In service |
| 8 | 707 (707-320C) | 333,600 lb (151,300 kg) | 152 ft 11 in (46.6 m) | 145 ft 9 in (44.4 m) | Out of production |
| 9 | 757 (757-300) | 272,500 lb (123,600 kg) | 178 ft 7 in (54.4 m) | 124 ft 10 in (38.0 m) | Production ended 2004 |
| 10 | 727 (727-200 Advanced) | 209,500 lb (95,000 kg) | 153 ft 2 in (46.7 m) | 108 ft (32.9 m) | Production ended 1984 |
How this list is ranked
Maximum takeoff weight is the heaviest an aircraft is certified to leave the ground, and it is the fairest single measure of size. Each family appears once, at its heaviest variant. Aircraft sold under the Boeing name count, including the C-17, which Boeing took over in the 1997 McDonnell Douglas merger and built until 2015. The MD-11, which Boeing also built from 1997 to 2000 but never renamed, does not. At 630,500 pounds it would otherwise rank fourth.
1. Boeing 747-8
Max takeoff weight: 987,000 lb (447,700 kg). Length: 250 ft 2 in (76.3 m). Wingspan: 224 ft 5 in (68.4 m).
The 747 was the first airplane called a jumbo jet. It first flew on February 9, 1969, and entered service with Pan Am in January 1970.
The 747-8 is its last and largest version, with an 18-foot fuselage stretch over the 747-400, a new, thicker wing and General Electric GEnx-2B engines.
It came in two versions. The 747-8 Freighter first flew on February 8, 2010, and entered service with Cargolux in October 2011. The passenger 747-8 Intercontinental followed with Lufthansa in June 2012, seating 467 in a typical three-class layout with a range of 7,790 nautical miles.
Only 155 747-8s were built. The last 747 of any kind, a 747-8 Freighter for Atlas Air, was delivered on January 31, 2023, ending a run of 1,574 aircraft over 54 years.
It flew heavier than its own limit
On August 21, 2010, a 747-8F flight-test aircraft took off from Victorville, California, weighing 1,005,000 pounds. That was 30,000 pounds over the 975,000-pound design maximum takeoff weight the aircraft had at the time, and the flight proved the freighter’s capability.
The 747 family also includes Boeing’s largest aircraft by volume. The Dreamlifter, four 747-400s rebuilt with a swollen fuselage of 65,000 cubic feet (1,840 m³), ferries 787 sub-assemblies from Japan and Italy to final assembly in the United States.
The Air Force’s E-4B command post is a militarized 747-200 with a maximum takeoff weight of 800,000 pounds (362,900 kg). That makes it heavier than any purpose-built military aircraft in Boeing’s lineup.
2. Boeing 777X
Max takeoff weight: 805,000 lb (365,140 kg) for the 777-8, 775,000 lb (351,530 kg) for the 777-9. Length: 251 ft 9 in (76.7 m) for the 777-9. Wingspan: 235 ft 5 in (71.8 m) extended.
The 777X is the third generation of the 777, with GE9X engines and a new composite wing. It comes as the 777-9, the 777-8 and the 777-8 Freighter. The 777-9 is the one flying now, and it is the longest airliner Boeing has ever built.
Its long composite wing has folding wingtips, which make the 777X the first commercial transport aircraft with wingtip controls in the cockpit. On the ground the tips swing up in about 20 seconds, cutting the span to 212 ft 9 in (64.8 m), just 2 inches wider than a 777-300ER.
The shorter 777-8 is actually the heavier of the two, at 805,000 pounds, and it is built for range: Boeing quotes it at up to 9,500 nautical miles, against 8,000 nautical miles for the 777-9.
The 777-9 first flew on January 25, 2020, but it is not yet certified. As of October 2026 Boeing expects FAA certification and the first delivery, to launch customer Lufthansa, in 2027.
3. Boeing 777
Max takeoff weight: 775,000 lb (351,530 kg). Length: 242 ft 4 in (73.9 m). Wingspan: 212 ft 7 in (64.8 m). All figures for the 777-300ER.
The 777 brought jumbo-class size to a twin-engine widebody, on long routes that earlier generations of four-engine passenger planes used to fly. The stretched 777-300 first flew on October 16, 1997, and was the longest airliner in the world when it entered service in May 1998.
The 777-300ER that followed in 2004 kept that fuselage but added raked wingtips, GE90 engines and a maximum takeoff weight of up to 775,000 pounds. The 777-9 shares the same certified weight, which is why the two sit side by side here.
Boeing had delivered 1,794 777s as of August 2026, counting the 777F freighter.
4. Boeing C-17 Globemaster
Max takeoff weight: 585,000 lb (265,350 kg). Length: 174 ft (53 m). Wingspan: 169 ft 10 in (51.8 m).
The C-17 Globemaster III is the heaviest purpose-built military aircraft in Boeing’s lineup. McDonnell Douglas designed it and began production, and Boeing kept building it after the 1997 merger until production closed in 2015, with 279 delivered.
It can carry 170,900 pounds (77,519 kg) of cargo, and the Air Force puts its unrefueled range at about 2,400 nautical miles with 164,900 pounds on board. Four Pratt and Whitney F117 engines, each rated at 40,440 pounds of thrust, let it operate from short runways and austere airfields.
The U.S. Air Force flies 222 of them across the active force, Guard and Reserve, and it remains a mainstay among the world’s largest cargo planes.
5. Boeing 787-10
Max takeoff weight: 574,000 lb (260,360 kg). Length: 224 ft 1 in (68.3 m). Wingspan: 197 ft 3 in (60.1 m).
The 787-10 is the longest version of the Dreamliner, Boeing’s composite-airframe widebody. It seats 300 to 375 passengers in two classes, against 250 to 325 for the 787-9.
The extra length costs range. Boeing quotes the 787-10 at up to 7,500 nautical miles, while the shorter 787-9 reaches 8,300 nautical miles at a maximum takeoff weight only 2,500 pounds lower.
Even stretched, a 787-10 is 26 feet shorter than a 747-8 and weighs 413,000 pounds less at maximum takeoff weight. The 787 vs 747 comparison sets the two side by side.
6. Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
Max takeoff weight: 488,000 lb (221,350 kg). Length: 159 ft 4 in (48.6 m). Wingspan: 185 ft (56.4 m).
The B-52 first flew on April 15, 1952, and Boeing built 744 of them before production ended in 1962. Only the H model remains in the Air Force inventory, and the service expects to fly it through 2050.
Its wing is the surprise. At 185 feet (56.4 m), it spans more than the wing of the C-17, an aircraft that weighs nearly 100,000 pounds more at takeoff.
7. Boeing 767-400ER
Max takeoff weight: 450,000 lb (204,100 kg). Length: 201 ft 4 in (61.4 m). Wingspan: 170 ft 4 in (51.9 m).
The 767-400ER is the final stretch of the 767, the twin-engine widebody Boeing introduced in the early 1980s. It entered service in 2000, about 21 feet longer than the 767-300ER and with a wider wing.
The 767 family lives on in two other forms. Boeing still builds the 767-300F freighter, and the Air Force’s KC-46A Pegasus tanker, based on the 767 and assembled on the same line, has a maximum takeoff weight of 415,000 pounds (188,240 kg).
The first KC-46A reached McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, on January 25, 2019, and the current contract with options covers 179 tankers.
8. Boeing 707
Max takeoff weight: 333,600 lb (151,300 kg). Length: 152 ft 11 in (46.6 m). Wingspan: 145 ft 9 in (44.4 m). All figures for the 707-320C.
The 707 was the first jetliner Boeing developed and produced, and it entered service in 1958. The larger 707-320 series added range: the 707-320B could fly up to 5,000 nautical miles.
The convertible passenger-freighter 707-320C, with a strengthened floor and a cargo door, became the most widely produced version. Boeing delivered 856 707s and 154 of the closely related 720 before commercial production ended in 1978.
Military derivatives such as the E-3 Sentry and the C-137 Stratoliner VIP transport kept the 707 airframe in Air Force service.
9. Boeing 757-300
Max takeoff weight: 272,500 lb (123,600 kg). Length: 178 ft 7 in (54.4 m). Wingspan: 124 ft 10 in (38.0 m).
The 757-300 is the stretched version of the 757, launched in 1996 and in service from March 1999. It is certified for up to 295 passengers.
It is a single-aisle jet, yet at 178 ft 7 in it is more than 4 feet longer than a C-17. Airlines bought only 55, and 757 production ended in October 2004 after 1,050 aircraft.
10. Boeing 727-200 Advanced
Max takeoff weight: 209,500 lb (95,000 kg). Length: 153 ft 2 in (46.7 m). Wingspan: 108 ft (32.9 m).
The 727 is the only trijet Boeing ever produced, one of the classics on our list of the best trijets. The stretched 727-200 is 20 feet longer than the original 727-100.
From line number 881, Boeing called it the 727-200 Advanced, and its gross weight grew in steps from 169,000 pounds to 209,500 pounds. Boeing built 1,832 727s between 1962 and 1984.
Where is the Boeing 737?
The 737 is Boeing’s best-known airliner, but it misses the top 10 by weight. The longest version, the 737 MAX 10, measures 143 ft 8 in (43.8 m) with a maximum takeoff weight of 197,900 pounds (89,770 kg).
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That is 11,600 pounds lighter than a 727-200 Advanced, from a family whose stretched version first flew in 1967. The MAX 10 had still not been certified by the FAA at the end of September 2026.
Is the Boeing 747 or 777 bigger?
It depends on the measure. By weight, the 747-8 wins easily, at 987,000 pounds against 805,000 pounds for the heaviest 777X and 775,000 pounds for the 777-300ER.
By length, the 777-9 is 1 ft 7 in longer than the 747-8, and its extended wingspan is 11 feet wider. Today’s 777-300ER is shorter than the 747-8 on both counts.
The 747-8 is not Boeing's longest jet
Several aircraft-size guides still call the 747-8 Boeing’s longest aircraft. It was the longest airliner in service when it arrived, but the 777-9 is 251 ft 9 in long against 250 ft 2 in for the 747-8. The 747-8 keeps the crown for weight, by a wide margin.
Neither is the biggest airliner in the world. That title belongs to the Airbus A380, which our ranking of the largest commercial airplanes compares with every Boeing widebody. For the wider rivalry, see Boeing vs Airbus.
FAQ
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.
- Boeing, 777X technical specifications
- Boeing, 747-8
- Boeing, 787 Dreamliner technical specifications
- Boeing, 767
- U.S. Air Force, C-17 Globemaster III fact sheet
- U.S. Air Force, B-52H Stratofortress fact sheet
- U.S. Air Force, KC-46A Pegasus fact sheet
- U.S. Air Force, E-4B fact sheet
- Wikipedia, Boeing 747
- Wikipedia, Boeing 747-8
- Wikipedia, Boeing 777X
- Wikipedia, Boeing 777
- Wikipedia, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
- Wikipedia, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
- Wikipedia, Boeing 767
- Wikipedia, Boeing 707
- Wikipedia, Boeing 757
- Wikipedia, Boeing 727
- Wikipedia, Boeing 737 MAX
- Wikipedia, Boeing Dreamlifter
- Wikipedia, McDonnell Douglas MD-11
- AirlineGeeks, Boeing delivers last ever 747 to Atlas Air
- Air Data News, Boeing 777-9 certification slips into 2027, FAA chief suggests
- AirlineGeeks, 737 MAX 10 certification coming very soon, Boeing CEO says
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About the Author
Matt Claiborne is an FAA Airline Transport Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor with more than two decades of experience in flight training. He has served as an assistant professor and FAA Part 141 Assistant Chief Instructor for a university aeronautics program in Florida. His background in professional flying, flight instruction, and aviation education gives him firsthand expertise in aircraft operations, pilot training, flight procedures, and aviation safety.