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Comparator

Airbus A380 vs Boeing 747

Head-to-head technical comparison of Airbus A380 and Boeing 747, built from official data. Boeing 747 offers 173% more units built than Airbus A380 (694 vs 254). Airbus A380 offers 105% more passengers than Boeing 747 (853 vs 416).

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Qantas Airbus A380 taking off from HeathrowAirbus A380AirbusData from the representative variant A380-800.Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 departing BostonBoeing 747BoeingData from the representative variant 747-400.
First flightApril 27, 2005April 29, 1988
Aircraft typeVery-long-range wide-body airliner with a full double deckFour-engine long-range wide-body airliner
PowerplantFour high-bypass turbofans, in two certified installations the customer could choose between without altering airframe or pylon. The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 branch gives the A380-841, with Trent 970-84 or 970B-84 rated at 348.31 kN each, and the A380-842, with Trent 972-84, 972B-84 or 972E-84 rated up to 356.81 kN each (341.41 kN on the E version); this sheet takes the Trent 972B-84 as its reference designation. The American branch, the Engine Alliance GP7270 —a General Electric and Pratt & Whitney joint venture— gives the A380-861, rated at 332.44 kN each. All of them turn a fan 2.95 m across that swallows over a tonne of air every second. The auxiliary power unit is a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW980A.4 × Pratt & Whitney PW4062 high-bypass turbofans of 282 kN each; the variant was also certified with General Electric CF6-80C2B1F and CF6-80C2B5F and with Rolls-Royce RB211-524G and RB211-524H engines.
Powerplant4 × Rolls-Royce Trent 972B-844 × Pratt & Whitney PW4062
Power per engine——
Thrust per engine357 kN282 kN
Length72.7 m70.7 m
Wingspan79.8 m64.4 m
Height24.1 m19.4 m
Wing area845 m²525 m²
Empty weight285,000 kg178,755 kg
MTOW575,000 kg396,890 kg
Top speed945 km/h982 km/h
Max speed altitude10,363 m10,668 m
Cruise speed903 km/h907 km/h
Cruise altitude11,200 m10,668 m
Service ceiling13,106 m13,746 m
Initial climb rate8 m/s7.6 m/s
Range15,000 km13,490 km
Ferry range——
Combat radius0 km0 km
Endurance——
Range conditionsAirbus quoted 15,000 km —8,000 nautical miles— with a full load of 545 passengers in four classes; with full tanks at maximum take-off weight operational references stretch the stage to some 16,100 km. The type certificate sets 324,339 litres of usable fuel, 259,471 kg, spread between the wing tanks and the stabiliser trim tank, enough for non-stop flights of over fifteen hours.About 13,490 km in the typical three-class layout; the tank housed in the horizontal stabiliser and the auxiliary cargo-bay tanks are what give this variant its reach.
ArmamentNone. The A380 is a civil passenger transport; no armed version was ever offered or certified.None: the 747-400 is a civil passenger and cargo transport.
Max weapons load0 kg0 kg
Payload84,000 kg67,318 kg
Cargo capacityAirbus quoted 525 seats in three classes as the typical layout and 545 in the four-class arrangement it used as its commercial reference, with a manufacturer-certified maximum of 853 passengers in a single class. The current EASA A.110 type certificate approves up to 868 seats for emergency evacuation, 538 on the main deck and 330 on the upper one. Below the floor the holds take 28,577 kg forward, 20,310 kg aft and 2,515 kg in the bulk compartment: more than 51 t of revenue load on top of the passengers' baggage.Up to 67,318 kg of structural payload. The lower holds take about 172.3 m³ in containers, pallets and bulk cargo, on top of the baggage of the 416 passengers of the typical three-class layout.
Crew22
Passengers853416
Units built254694

Three-view drawings

Airbus A380Airbus A380-800 three-view drawing: top, side and frontDibujo: Julien Scavini (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Boeing 747Boeing 747-400 three-view drawing: top, side and frontDibujo: Kaboldy (CC BY-SA 4.0)