At what speed does a Boeing 747 land?

Airliners don't land at a fixed speed. The crew calculates Vref for each arrival, the approach reference speed, defined as 1.23 times the stall speed in landing configuration at the actual weight at that moment. On the 747-400, with flaps 30, that figure ranges from about 135 kn when the aircraft is light to 157 kn (290 km/h) at the maximum landing weight of 285 t. A margin of 5 kn is usually added to that, more if there are gusty winds, so the final approach is typically flown at 150-165 kn. The heavier 747-8 sits about 5 kn above that.

Lift grows with the square of speed, so a heavier aircraft needs more speed to stay airborne with the same flap setting. A 747 arriving after a twelve-hour intercontinental flight has burned about 100 t of fuel and lands much slower than one returning shortly after takeoff. That's why manuals include Vref tables by weight, and the flight management system calculates them automatically and presents them to the pilots.

After touchdown, at around 150 kn, the 747 has spoilers that kill lift, carbon brakes on the 16 main landing gear wheels, and reverse thrust on all four engines. With that it stops its nearly 300 t in about 2,000 m of runway under normal conditions. The 747's landing speed is, in fact, similar to that of a 737 or A320, which are around 130-145 kn: the larger wing and triple-slotted flaps compensate for the weight, and designers aim for all commercial jets to land within a similar range so that runways and procedures remain compatible.