Compare aircraft sizes

A photograph can make a 747 look enormous or quite ordinary, depending on what stands beside it. Put two aircraft on one scale and the differences become much clearer.

Drawn on the same scale

How much larger is it?

Choose two aircraft. Compare their overall length and wingspan, overlaid or beside each other.

Boeing 747-8 is 3.52 m longer. Airbus A380-800 is 11.35 m wider across the wings.

Aircraft A

Boeing 747-8

Length

76.25 m

Wingspan

68.40 m

Boeing 747-8 planning manual, §2.2.2

Read about Boeing 747-8 →

Aircraft B

Airbus A380-800

Length

72.73 m

Wingspan

79.75 m

Airbus A380 planning manual, §2-2-0

Airbus’s December 2025 general-dimensions drawing gives 72.73 m overall length.

Read about Airbus A380-800 →

All aircraft dimensions and sources

Manufacturer overall dimensions, reviewed 3 October 2026

Aircraft	Length	Wingspan	Source
Boeing 747SP	56.31 m	59.64 m	Boeing classic 747 planning manual
Boeing 747-100	70.66 m	59.64 m	Boeing classic 747 planning manual
Boeing 747-200	70.66 m	59.64 m	Boeing classic 747 planning manual
Boeing 747-300	70.66 m	59.64 m	Boeing classic 747 planning manual
Boeing 747-400	70.67 m	64.44 m	Boeing 747-400 planning manual, §2.2.1
Boeing 747-8	76.25 m	68.40 m	Boeing 747-8 planning manual, §2.2.2
Boeing 777-300ER	73.90 m	64.80 m	Boeing 777 technical specifications
Airbus A380-800	72.73 m	79.75 m	Airbus A380 planning manual, §2-2-0

What the comparison shows

Length and wingspan are different measures. The 747-8 is longer than the A380-800, while the A380 spreads much farther across the apron. Neither length nor span alone tells you passenger capacity or the volume of an aircraft.

The 747SP makes the opposite impression: its much shorter fuselage retains the classic 747's wingspan. Choose the SP beside the -100 to see the change without a camera angle hiding it.

The -100, -200 and -300 share the same basic length and span. The upper deck and engines are useful identification clues, but those differences need a photograph or side view. Try the variant identification guide for those clues.

How it is drawn

Every outline uses metre coordinates. Changing units converts the labels; it does not stretch the drawing. Overlay mode aligns the noses, while side-by-side mode places the same drawings beside one another. Optional envelopes mark each aircraft's listed overall length and wingspan.

The figures are nominal manufacturer dimensions. The 747-400 wingspan uses Boeing's jig dimension; wing flex and ground attitude can change measured dimensions. The contours are simplified, so these pictures do not model wing area, turning paths or required ground clearances.

Continue exploring

• Explore inside a 747
• Specifications for the whole 747 family
• 747 versus A380
• 747 versus 777
• 747SP versus 747-100