The A380 is the largest and heaviest passenger aircraft in the world. It is 73 meters long, 24 meters high, and has a takeoff weight of up to 560 tons. The Lufthansa A380 seats 509 passengers, and its four Rolls-Royce engines each generate 70000lbs of thrust.

The Airbus A380 is a massive feat of engineering, with weights that vary significantly based on its configuration. As of early 2026, a standard A380-800 has a Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) of 560 metric tons (approximately 1,235,000 pounds). To put that into perspective, that is roughly the weight of 80 adult male African elephants. The Manufacturer's Weight Empty (MWE)—the plane without fuel, passengers, or cargo—is about 277 metric tons. When fully loaded with up to 320,000 liters of fuel and over 500 passengers, the aircraft requires four engines each producing 70,000+ pounds of thrust just to become airborne. Despite its immense mass, the A380 is designed with 22 wheels to distribute its weight across the runway, ensuring it doesn't damage the pavement at the major international hubs where it operates.