Aircraft of the worldAircraft of the world

History: European cooperation

Airbus Industrie was established in 1970. Its first major programme was the A300, a twin-engine wide-body airliner. The project brought together specialists and production sites across Europe, with final assembly in Toulouse. This way of working continued in later programmes: major aircraft sections are built at different factories and brought together on the assembly line.

The A320 opened up the high-volume single-aisle market for Airbus. The company then expanded its long-haul range: the A330, double-deck A380 and A350 offer different answers to the challenges of capacity, range and operating economics.

Approach: shared principles, new technology

Cockpit commonality and shared handling principles across aircraft families became central to Airbus’s approach. The digital fly-by-wire system used on the A320 since 1988 transmits pilot commands through computers and helps keep the aircraft within its operating limits. Similar interfaces ease the transition between models, although training and qualifications remain type-specific.

Carbon-fibre composites make up a substantial part of the A350’s structure. Combined with modern aerodynamics and engines, they are intended to reduce weight, fuel consumption and certain maintenance requirements. For passengers, the approach brings together cabin space, acoustic comfort and long-haul capability.

History: from a workshop to large airliners

William Boeing founded Pacific Aero Products on 15 July 1916, shortly after the B & W seaplane made its first flight. The business was renamed Boeing Airplane Company in spring 1917. Military contracts and airmail shaped its early development; passenger transport later became one of its principal activities.

The 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777 families addressed different airline needs, from frequent short flights to carrying large numbers of passengers across oceans. These models provide a useful way to follow the company’s history: each combines size, range and network capabilities differently.

Approach: route efficiency and comfort in flight

The 787 Dreamliner illustrates Boeing’s focus on long-haul economics. Composites account for around half the structural weight, complemented by modern engines, aerodynamics and electrical systems. The aircraft was designed for long routes where capacity matters alongside the ability to offer a direct service with a suitable passenger load.

Cabin features include large dimmable windows, higher humidity and cabin pressure, and a system that reduces the effects of turbulence. The 777 and 787 flight decks share features that ease crew transitions between types. These solutions are programme-specific: the 737 or the historic 747 may have substantially different equipment.

History: building a domestic aircraft industry

COMAC was founded on 11 May 2008 to deliver China’s large passenger aircraft programmes. It brings together design, final assembly, flight testing and customer support. This structure develops not just an individual airliner but also the capabilities needed to manufacture it in series and support it in service.

The regional ARJ21 received the commercial designation C909 in November 2024. Together with the C919 and C929, it forms a consistent naming system across the brand. The sequence covers distinct aircraft classes: regional, mainline narrow-body and wide-body.

Approach: an aircraft and its support network

COMAC links civil aviation development to safety, economy, comfort and reduced environmental impact. In practice, this means testing, working with operators, training and after-sales support. For an airline, a new type becomes useful when it can be operated and maintained reliably across its route network.

The C909 is designed for regional links and feeder services to major hubs; the C919 serves mainline routes with a single-aisle cabin. The C929 extends the range into wide-body aircraft and appears in this catalogue as a project. Its announced specifications should be considered separately from the operating experience of production C909s and C919s.

Yakovlev: regional and mainline aircraft

The Yakovlev design bureau traces its history to the AIR-1’s first flight on 12 May 1927. Its manufacturing heritage is linked to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, founded in 1934. In 2023, Irkut Corporation adopted the Yakovlev name, bringing the historic design tradition and modern civil programmes under one brand.

The MC-21, Superjet and Yak-130 represent this branch of the catalogue. The MC-21 and SJ-100 address different passenger transport segments, while the Yak-130 trains military pilots. In its civil programmes, the company emphasises regional connectivity, modern manufacturing technologies, composite structures and in-service support.

Tupolev: a tradition of large jet aircraft

The Tupolev tradition began with the commission for metal aircraft construction established under Andrei Tupolev on 22 October 1922. Work on all-metal structures laid the foundations for later civil and military programmes. In the passenger aircraft catalogue, this lineage is represented by the Tu-204 and Tu-214, related medium-haul aircraft whose variants and equipment need to be distinguished carefully.

Ilyushin: long-haul routes and regional connections

The Ilyushin design tradition grew out of the Central Design Bureau established under Sergei Ilyushin on 13 January 1933. Its first civil aircraft was the Il-12, which flew in 1945. In the catalogue, the Il-96 represents long-haul wide-body aircraft and the Il-114 regional turboprops. These are different roles within a design tradition also known for transport aircraft.