Concorde (1976-2004)

100 passengers.
Cargo: 0.59 tons.
Range: 5,943 km.
Speed: 2,150 km/hrs.
Consumption: 25,629 liters/hrs.
Length: 62.1 meters.

Boeing 737-400 (1991)

141 passengers.
Cargo: 1.7 tons.
Range: 2,728 km.
Speed: 815 km/hrs.
Consumption: 3,050 liters/hrs.
Length: 36.6 meters.

Boeing 747-400 (1989)

426 passengers.
Cargo: 17.1 tons.
Range: 11,485 km.
Speed: 927 km/hrs.
Consumption: 12,788 liters/hrs.
Length: 70.7 meters.

Boeing 757-200 (1983)

195 passengers.
Cargo: 5.2 tons.
Range: 3,382 km.
Speed: 880 km/hrs.
Consumption: 4,476 liters/hrs.
Length: 47.3 meters.

Boeing 767-300 (1990)

215 passengers.
Cargo: 9.4 tons.
Range: 5,702 km.
Speed: 873 km/hrs.
Consumption: 5,813 liters/hrs.
Length: 54.9 meters.

Boeing 777-100 (1995)

281 passengers.
Cargo: 10.0 tons.
Range: 7,406 km.
Speed: 891 km/hrs.
Consumption: 8,290 liters/hrs.
Length: 63.7 meters.

Airbus A320-200 (1988)

149 passengers.
Cargo: 2.3 tons.
Range: 3,717 km.
Speed: 853 km/hrs.
Consumption: 3,025 liters/hrs.
Length: 37.6 meters.

McDonnald-Douglas DC-10 (1976)

311 passengers.
Cargo: 15.8 tons.
Range: 9,335 km.
Speed: 898 km/hrs.
Consumption: 9,376 liters/hrs.
Length: 55.3 meters.

Source: British Airways Web Site

Main Aircraft Used in International Airline Operations

Several airplanes changed hands during the recent years (bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions, new companies) and the average age of airplanes is increasing. Airlines must have profitable operations since they do not have any more protected routes on the national market and are facing aggressive foreign competition. The purchase of new planes is often a low priority. For example, the 727 is a plane frequently used for regional services and the fleet has an average age of fifteen years.

Facing a growth in air transport demand, new planes are likely to become operational at the beginning of the 21st century. Most of these planes will be larger, increasing economies of scale. Among them, the Boeing 747-600 that can transport 546 passengers was planned to be available by 2000, but its developer, Boeing, is delaying (if not abandoning) the production for an stretched version of the 747, dubbed 747-X. The European consortium Airbus, Boeing's major competitor, is planning its own version of a super-large airplane, the Airbus 380 with 555 passengers was initially planned to be available around 2006, but was delayed to 2008.

Copyright © 1998-2008, Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University. For personal or classroom use ONLY. This material (including graphics) is not public domain and cannot be published, in whole or in part, in ANY form (printed or electronic) and on any media without consent. Permission MUST be requested prior to use.