Airliner

An airliner is a type of transport aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Passenger jets are faster than locomotives pulling passenger railroad cars on rails or cruise ships on water.

The largest airliners are jet aircraft called "wide-body aircraft". They are frequently called twin-aisle aircraft because they generally have two separate aisles running from the front to the back of the passenger cabin. These aircraft are used for long-haul flights between airline hubs and major cities, such as transoceanic routes (that is: routes which cross an ocean). They carry many passengers. The largest airliners may have two decks, such as Airbus A380 and Boeing 747.

A smaller, more common class of airliners is the "narrow-body aircraft" or single aisle aircraft. These smaller airliners are generally used for short to medium-distance flights with fewer passengers than their wide-body counterparts.

Most airliners have two or four engines. Those intended for short distance voyages usually have turboprop engines as they are economical and have good efficiency, while those for long distance voyages have jet engines which enables fast flying.

Gallery

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  A Boeing 737-300 narrow-body airliner
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  An Airbus A380, the world's largest wide-body airliner
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  A Boeing 757 cargo airliner
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  The cabin of a narrow-body airliner, with only 1 aisle
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  The cabin of a wide-body airliner, with 2 aisles