This is a list of large aircraft, including three types: fixed wing, rotary wing, and airships.
The US Federal Aviation Administration defines a large aircraft as any aircraft with a certificated maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of more than 12500lb
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) defines a large aircraft as either "an aeroplane with a maximum take-off mass of more than 12566.35lb or a multi-engined helicopter."[1]
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|-! Type !! First flight ! Role !! Built !! Length !! Span !! MTOW !! Capacity! class="unsortable" | Notes|-| Ilya Muromets || 1913| airliner/bomber || 85+ || 19.13sp=usNaNsp=us || 32.58sp=usNaNsp=us || 4.527 tons || Pax: 16| First multi-engine aircraft in serial production, Russky Vityaz development|-| Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI || 1916| Bomber || 56 || 24.168sp=usNaNsp=us || 46.15sp=usNaNsp=us || 11.613 tons ||| Largest WWI aircraft in regular service |- style="font-style: italic; background-color: lightgrey"| Tarrant Tabor || 1919| Bomber || 1 || 24.38sp=usNaNsp=us || 43.74sp=usNaNsp=us || 19.97 tons || | Crashed on first flight|-| Dornier Do X || | Flying boat || 3 || 43.74sp=usNaNsp=us || 52.27sp=usNaNsp=us || 51.1787 tons || Pax: 100| Then longest, widest and heaviest|- style="font-style: italic; background-color: lightgrey"| Kalinin K-7 || | Transport || 1 || 30.62sp=usNaNsp=us || 57.96sp=usNaNsp=us || 45.77 tons || Pax: 120| Widest aircraft until the Tupolev ANT-20|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Tupolev ANT-20 || | Transport || 2 || 35.979sp=usNaNsp=us || 68.8976sp=usNaNsp=us || 52.16 tons || Pax: 72| Widest and heaviest until the Douglas XB-19|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Douglas XB-19 || | Bomber || 1 || 44.07sp=usNaNsp=us || 70.65sp=usNaNsp=us || 72.34 tons ||| Longest until the Laté. 631, widest until the B-36, heaviest until the Martin Mars|-| Messerschmitt Me 323 || | Transport || 198 || 70.65sp=usNaNsp=us || 60.37sp=usNaNsp=us || 42.32 tons || 11.81 tons| Highest cargo capacity land-based World War II transport|-| Martin JRM Mars || | Flying boat || 7 || 39.04sp=usNaNsp=us || 66.71sp=usNaNsp=us || 73.62 tons || 14.76 tons| Heaviest until the Junkers 390, Largest serial production flying boat|-| Latécoère 631 || | Flying boat || 11 || 47.57sp=usNaNsp=us || 62.77sp=usNaNsp=us || 70.27 tons || Pax: 46| Longest until the Convair B-36|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Junkers Ju 390 || | Bomber || 2 || 37.4sp=usNaNsp=us || 55.01sp=usNaNsp=us || 74.31 tons || 9.84 tons| Heaviest until the BV 238, Junkers entry for the Amerika Bomber project|- style="font-style: italic; background-color: lightgrey"| Blohm & Voss BV 238 || | Flying boat || 1 || 47.35sp=usNaNsp=us || 65.84sp=usNaNsp=us || 98.42 tons ||| Heaviest built during WWII, destroyed in 1945|-| Convair B-36|| | Bomber || 384 || 54.02sp=usNaNsp=us || 76.66sp=usNaNsp=us || 183.06 tons ||| Heaviest until the B-52, longest and widest until the Hughes H-4|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Hughes H-4 Hercules (Spruce Goose) || | Flying boat || 1 || 72.94sp=usNaNsp=us || 106.95sp=usNaNsp=us || 177.15 tons || | Longest until the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and widest until the Stratolaunch|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Convair XC-99 || | Transport || 1 || 60.8sp=usNaNsp=us || 76.66sp=usNaNsp=us || 142.71 tons || 44.28 tons| B-36 development, most capable transport aircraft until the An-22|-| Boeing B-52|| | Bomber || 744 || 53.04sp=usNaNsp=us || 61.68sp=usNaNsp=us || 216.525 tons ||| Heaviest until the XB-70, still in service|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| XB-70|| | Bomber || 2 || 61.68sp=usNaNsp=us || 34.99sp=usNaNsp=us || 242.115 tons || | Heaviest until the An-22, Mach 3 prototype bomber|-| Antonov An-22 || | Transport || 68 || 63.32sp=usNaNsp=us || 70.43sp=usNaNsp=us || 246.05 tons || 80 t| Heaviest until the C-5, Heaviest turboprop aircraft|- style="font-style: italic; background-color: lightgrey"| Caspian Sea Monster || | Ekranoplan || 1 || 100.61sp=usNaNsp=us || 41.12sp=usNaNsp=us37.6 m || 535.41 tons||| Heaviest and longest flying vehicle until the An-225, 1980 crash|-| Lockheed C-5 Galaxy || | Transport || 131 || 82.34sp=usNaNsp=us || 74.26sp=usNaNsp=us || 410.41 tons || 125.49 tons| Largest payload capacity until the An-124 |-| Boeing 747 || | Airliner || 1557 || 77.32sp=usNaNsp=us || 65.18sp=usNaNsp=us || 406.86 tons || Pax: 550/660| Highest passenger capacity airliner until the Airbus A380|-| Antonov An-124 || | Transport || 55 || 75.57sp=usNaNsp=us || 80.16sp=usNaNsp=us || 395.65 tons || 147.63 tons| Most capable transport until the An-225|- style="font-style: italic; background-color: lightgrey"| Antonov An-225 Mriya || | Transport || 1 || 91.86sp=usNaNsp=us || 96.68sp=usNaNsp=us || 629.89 tons || 246.05 tons| Heaviest aircraft and most capable transport, destroyed in 2022|- | Airbus Beluga || | Outsize cargo || 5 || 61.46sp=usNaNsp=us || 48.99sp=usNaNsp=us || 152.55 t || 1961.93sp=usNaNsp=us | Airbus A300 derivative, largest volume until the Dreamlifter|- | Airbus A380|| | Airliner || 254 || 79.51sp=usNaNsp=us || 87.27sp=usNaNsp=us || 565.92 tons || Pax: 850| Highest passenger capacity airliner|- | Boeing Dreamlifter || | Outsize cargo || 4 || 78.41sp=usNaNsp=us || 70.43sp=usNaNsp=us || 358.25 tons || 2406.63sp=usNaNsp=us| Boeing 747-400 derivative, largest volume until the BelugaXL|-| Airbus BelugaXL|| | Outsize cargo || 6 || 69.01sp=usNaNsp=us || 65.945sp=usNaNsp=us || 223.41 tons|| 2889.26sp=usNaNsp=us| Airbus A330 derivative, largest volume|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Stratolaunch || | Air launch || 1 || 79.83sp=usNaNsp=us || 127.95sp=usNaNsp=us || 580.68 t || 246.052 t| Current heaviest and widest, prototype air-launch-to-orbit carrier|}
|-! Type! Proposed! data-sort-type=number | MTOW! class="unsortable"| Notes|-| Poll Triplane| 1917 (circa) ||| 50 m wingspan[2] |-| Victory Bomber| 1940/1941 || 47.2 tons | 52 m wingspan, to carry a ten-ton earthquake bomb, rejected by the RAF[3] |-| Boeing 2707 | 1960s || 301.17 tons| A 93 m long Concorde answer, canceled in 1971|-| Lockheed CL-1201| 1960s || 6318.61 tons| Nuclear-powered, 1,120 feet (340 m) wing span, airborne aircraft carrier|-| Boeing RC-1| 1970s || 1584.57 tons| "flying pipeline", proposed before the 1973 oil crisis|-| Conroy Virtus| 1974 || 379.90 tons| 140 m wingspan, to carry Space Shuttle parts|-| Beriev Be-2500| 1980s || 2460.57 tons| Super heavy amphibious transport aircraft |-| Beriev Be-5000| 1980s || 4921.03 tons| Twin fuselage Be-2500|-| McDonnell Douglas MD-12| 1990 || 423.21 tons| Proposed double deck airliner, canceled in mid-1990s|-| Boeing New Large Airplane| 1990s || 523.6 tons| 747 replacement powered by 777 engines, canceled in the 1990s|- | Aerocon Dash 1.6 wingship| 1990s || 4921.03 tpms| US ground effect aircraft, developed with Russian consultation|-| Tupolev Tu-404| 1990s || 595.45 tons| Blended wing body airliner for 1,214 passenger, 110 m wingspan[4] |-| Sukhoi KR-860| 1990s || 639.73 tons| Transport for 300 t payload or 860-1,000 passengers Double deck airliner|-| Boeing 747X| 1996 || 465.53 tons| 747-400 stretch, Airbus A3XX competitor|-| Boeing Pelican| 2002 || 2657.36 tons| Ground effect and medium altitude transport|-| Airbus A380-900| 2006 || 580.68 tons| Airbus A380-800 stretch, postponed in May 2010[5] |-| TsAGI HCA-LB| 2010s || 984.21 tons| Ground effect aircraft powered by LNG|-| Skylon| current || 339.55 tons| Reusable spaceplane|-| WindRunner| current ||| Outsize cargo freight aircraft: 108 m long, 80 m wingspan.[6] [7] |}
|-! Type! First flight! MTOW!Number built!class="unsortable"| Notes|-| Cierva W.11 Air Horse| | 8 t| 1| three rotor helicopter|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Hughes XH-17| | 23 t| 1| Prototype heavy-lift helicopter, largest rotor at 39.6 m|-| Mil Mi-6| | 44 t| 926| Heavy transport helicopter, 35 m rotor|- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Mil V-12 or Mi-12| | 105 t| 2| Largest prototype helicopter, 2 × 35 m rotors|-| Mil Mi-26 | | 56 t| 316| Heaviest serial production helicopter |- style="background-color: lightgrey"| Fairey Rotodyne| | 15 t| 1| Largest gyrodyne. Prototype for 40 passengers|-|Kamov Ka-22||42.5 t|4|composite rotorcraft|-| Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey| | 21.5 t| 400| First operational VTOL tiltrotor|}
|+ Large balloons! Type !! Date !! Volume !! Description|-| Preusen ("Prussia") | 1901 | 8,400 m3[8] | German experimental prototype |-| CL75 AirCrane| 2001 | 110,000 m3| CargoLifter experimental prototype, approximately 120.6 tonnes with helium fill|}
|+ Large airships! Type! First flight! Volume! Length! class="unsortable" | Notes|-| Zeppelin LZ 1| 1900| 11,300 m3[8] | 128 m| German experimental prototype|-| R38 (US: ZR-2)| 1921| [9] | 212 m| UK military, built for US Navy|-| R100| 1929| 193,970 m3| 216 m| UK experimental passenger transport |-| HM Airship R101| | 156,000 m3| 236 m| Followed by the smaller 146,000 m3 R100 (220 m) on 16 Dec 1929|-| US Navy USS Akron| | 180,000 m3| 239 m| Largest helium-filled airship along its USS Macon sister ship|-| LZ 129 Hindenburg| | 200,000 m3| 245 m| Largest volume along with its LZ130 Graf Zeppelin II sister ship, approximately 237.2 tonnes with hydrogen fill|}