The world's largest aircraft depends on the metric. Compare the An-225, Stratolaunch Roc and Airbus A380 by weight, wingspan and role.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya is generally recognised as the world’s largest aeroplane to enter operational service: it had the highest maximum take-off weight, at 640 tonnes, and was 84 metres long. The Stratolaunch Roc is wider, with a record 117-metre wingspan, while the Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner.
In our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, we qualify any claim about the largest aircraft because length, wingspan, weight, payload and passenger capacity produce different winners. Strictly speaking, aircraft also includes helicopters and lighter-than-air craft; historic airships were much longer than any aeroplane but are not directly comparable by the same measures.
Why is the Antonov An-225 considered the world’s largest aircraft?
The An-225 has the strongest overall claim because no other completed aeroplane has matched its combination of maximum take-off weight, length and heavy-lift capability.
- Maximum take-off weight: 640 tonnes
- Length: 84 metres
- Wingspan: 88.4 metres
- Height: 18.1 metres
- Published maximum payload: approximately 250 tonnes
- Engines: six turbofans
Antonov developed the aircraft to transport the Soviet Buran space shuttle and related components. It later entered commercial service carrying exceptionally heavy or oversized loads that could not fit inside ordinary freighters. Only one An-225 was completed.
Its size is easier to judge through our measurement-by-measurement comparison with the C-5, Boeing 747 and Airbus A380.
Which aircraft holds each size record?
There is no single winner across every measurement, so the intended meaning of “largest” determines the answer.
| Category | Aircraft | Decisive measurement | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largest overall or heaviest | Antonov An-225 Mriya | 640-tonne maximum take-off weight | The only completed example was destroyed in 2022 |
| Widest wingspan | Stratolaunch Roc | 117 metres | A specialist twin-fuselage carrier, not a conventional freighter |
| Largest passenger airliner | Airbus A380-800 | Two full-length decks and a maximum certified capacity of 853 passengers | Normal airline layouts carry substantially fewer passengers |
Is the Stratolaunch Roc bigger than the An-225?
The Stratolaunch Roc is bigger by wingspan, but not by maximum take-off weight or conventional cargo capability. Its 117-metre wing exceeds the An-225’s span by 28.6 metres and surpassed the previous 97.5-metre record held by the Hughes H-4 Hercules.
Roc has a published maximum take-off weight of roughly 590 tonnes, below the An-225’s 640 tonnes. It was designed to carry and release vehicles beneath its centre wing rather than transport freight inside a large cargo hold, so treating it as a direct An-225 replacement is misleading.
What is the world’s largest passenger aircraft?
The Airbus A380-800 is the largest passenger airliner by maximum take-off weight, cabin floor area and certified passenger capacity. It is 72.7 metres long, spans approximately 79.8 metres and has a maximum take-off weight of up to 575 tonnes.
Its 853-passenger figure is a certification ceiling for an exceptionally dense layout, not a typical airline configuration. The Boeing 747-8 is longer from nose to tail, but the A380 is heavier and provides two full-length passenger decks. Our breakdown of Airbus size records explains how it compares with the manufacturer’s other aircraft.
Does the An-225 still hold the record after its destruction?
Yes. Destruction of the sole completed An-225 does not erase its historical records or transfer them to another aircraft. It was destroyed at Hostomel Airport during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022; our account of how the An-225 was lost and what made it unique covers that event in detail.
No other aircraft has inherited every part of its claim. Roc holds the wingspan record, the A380 leads passenger aviation, and the Antonov An-124 is the nearest conventional heavy-freight counterpart, with ratings that vary by variant. For an unqualified question asking for the world’s largest aircraft, Antonov An-225 Mriya remains the expected answer.