Is A380 faster than 777?

Nope. The Boeing 777 has a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 compared to the Airbus A380's Mach 0.85. The 777's old contemporaries, the A330/A340, cruise at Mach 0.82, while the 777's new rival, the A350, cruises at Mach 0.85.



In terms of typical cruising speeds, the Airbus A380 is slightly faster than most variants of the Boeing 777. The A380 is designed to cruise at approximately Mach 0.85 (about 560 mph or 900 km/h at altitude), whereas the standard Boeing 777-300ER typically cruises at Mach 0.84. While this 0.01 Mach difference seems negligible, it can shave 10 to 15 minutes off a long-haul transoceanic flight. It is worth noting that the newer Boeing 777X, which is seeing increased service in 2026, is designed to match the A380's Mach 0.85 cruise speed. However, both are outpaced by the Boeing 747-8, which remains the fastest commercial airliner with a cruise speed of Mach 0.86. Actual flight times are often dictated more by high-altitude jet streams and air traffic control routing than the aircraft's maximum cruise capability, as airlines often fly slightly slower than the maximum rated speed to optimize fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

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While the two are barely different in economy class, the A380 offers an additional premium economy service. If you get the chance to fly in first class, then the Emirates Airbus A380 is an excellent alternative to other airlines, but business and economy leave a lot to be desired.

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Speed: 747s can fly faster than the A380s. The maximum cruise speed of an A380 is Mach 0.89 (89% of the speed of sound in air) while the two newest variants of the 747 (“-400” and “-8”) can cruise at a speed of Mach 0.855.

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The North American X-15 may be the fastest plane in the world, with speeds at 4,520 mph and Mach 5.93. It's an experimental aircraft used and powered by NASA and USAF.

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The Pilots For those looking after the safety of everyone on board, the A380 is generally well-loved. “The A380 is a pleasure to operate,” said Nigel, a captain for a European airline. “Handling is similar to the A320, with the 380 being a little more sensitive in pitch. It's very nimble despite its size!”

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The arrival of the A380 in 2007 was poorly timed. The price of jet fuel had begun to creep up, and by 2007 was floating at around $4 a gallon. This made airlines shy away from the expensive to operate four engine jets of the 80s and 90s, and to look instead to fuel efficiency as a major deciding factor.

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The bigger the plane, the better! Any plane can experience turbulence, but larger planes weigh more and don't feel the impact of wind changes as much as a smaller plane. Specifically, the Airbus A380 handles turbulence very well! The A380 is a large plane mainly used for international flights.

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One of the main disadvantages of the Airbus A380 is its size. Its large size can present a challenge for pilots, as the aircraft is more difficult to maneuver than smaller jets. Additionally, its four engines require more fuel than smaller aircraft, making it more expensive to operate.

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For now, the upper limit for current and proposed aircraft seems to be around the 400-seat mark. Many current A380s are likely to be phased out over the next decade, if not sooner. As such, it seems very unlikely that we will see another aircraft of its size any time soon.

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Although the 777's wider seats give you a better night's sleep, the privacy and lounge access onboard the A380 also make it a better choice in this class.

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Surprisingly, despite being bigger, the Airbus A380 can reach speeds of more than 1,000 kilometres per hour compared to the Boeing 787 which tops out at 954kph. Although both are very fast, passengers flying on the Airbus A380 could get to their destination quicker than those flying on the Boeing.

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The trijet 777 was later dropped, following marketing studies that favored the 757 and 767 variants. Boeing was left with a size and range gap in its product line between the 767-300ER and the 747-400.

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The A380 is failing because the 747 market was on its way down. Airlines don't want planes that large anymore—especially not four-engine versions. Because Boeing had been selling four-engine widebodies for decades they knew the end was nigh for that type of jet. Airbus wasn't smart enough to figure that out.

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Air France-KLM has revealed plans to retire its older widebody fleet, in favor of more modern, fuel-efficient aircraft. The Franco-Dutch airline group already withdrew the mighty Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 from service following the pandemic, and is now making plans to retire its aging Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s.

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For some airlines, the A380 offered too much capacity, while for Emirates, the airline can't get enough of the plane. Unfortunately for Emirates (and us passengers), the days of the Airbus A380 are numbered. Airbus stopped A380 production in 2021, as there weren't sufficient orders to keep production going.

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How much do A380 pilots get paid? Looking at pay tables provided by APA, if American Airlines operated the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747, effective May 2, 2023, captains on these aircraft would earn $402.28 per block hour during their first year of employment. By year 12, that would go up to $438.42 per block hour.

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And something that most passengers don't know – the A380 actually has three decks! On the lowest deck there's a resting area for the cabin crew, with bunk beds and a private restroom.

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To become one of our A380 Captains, you will need a minimum of 7000 hrs total flying time multi-crew, multi-engine (only time in the operating seat of a turboprop and/or turbojet aircraft can be counted; not simulator time).

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Mach 10 speed has never been achieved by a manned aircraft, though, so it has never been tested. Mach 10 has, however, been achieved by a spacecraft - on November 16, 2004, NASA launched the X-43A, an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle, and was able to reach real Mach 10 while being pushed into the atmosphere.

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At any given time, there are between 8,000 and 13,000 airplanes in the air. Over 30,000 flights with two million passengers on board take off every single day in the United States alone.

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