The largest commercial passenger aircraft is the Airbus A380. With a normal four class configuration, it can hold 544 people. However if all the seats were economy, it has a maximum capacity of 853 passengers.

The maximum number of passengers a plane can carry depends on its "Exit Limit," which is the maximum number of people that can safely evacuate the aircraft in 90 seconds. The current world record holder for passenger capacity is the Airbus A380-800. In a standard three-class configuration, it typically carries about 525 passengers, but it is certified to carry up to 853 passengers in a maximum-density, all-economy "cattle class" layout. However, no airline currently operates the A380 with 853 seats; Emirates, the largest operator, maxes out at around 615 seats in its two-class configuration. For twin-engine aircraft, the Boeing 777-9 (part of the 777X family) is expected to hold the crown, with a certification to carry up to 426 passengers in a typical high-density setup. Historically, the highest number of people ever carried on a single flight occurred during "Operation Solomon" in 1991, when an El Al Boeing 747 was stripped of its seats to evacuate Ethiopian Jews; that single flight carried an astonishing 1,088 passengers (some records say up to 1,122 including babies), though this was an emergency military operation and far exceeded the plane's commercial safety certifications.