What is the top speed of a 747?

The top speed of the Boeing 747 itself is about 570 mph, and this flight maxed out at 825 mph. The difference between ?ground speed? (zero bonus) and ?air speed? (200+ mph bonus) is also why this speed, while technically faster than the speed of sound, didn't ever go supersonic.



The top speed of the latest and fastest variant, the Boeing 747-8, is approximately Mach 0.92, which is about 614 mph (988 km/h) at cruising altitude. While its "normal" cruising speed is slightly slower at Mach 0.855, the 747-8 is the fastest commercial airliner currently in service in 2026. This high speed is achieved through its four powerful GEnx-2B67 engines and its iconic "supercritical" wing design. Historically, some 747s have even touched supersonic speeds (Mach 1.0) in high-speed dives during flight testing, though they are not designed for sustained supersonic flight. On certain long-haul routes with exceptionally strong tailwinds, such as those across the Atlantic, the 747 has reached "ground speeds" exceeding 800 mph, though its speed relative to the air remains within its subsonic limits. The 747-8’s speed and massive 7,730 nautical mile range continue to make it the preferred "Queen of the Skies" for high-capacity, long-distance international travel and cargo operations.

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Aided by a more powerful jet stream than usual, this rapid journey saw the 747 reach a top speed of 825 mph. Popular Mechanics reports that it was so powerful on this occasion because of a 'bomb cyclone' near Greenland.

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On average, the typical cruising speed of a large commercial aircraft, like a Boeing 747, is somewhere between 475 and 500 knots (roughly 575 mph). So what is the cruising speed of a 747? Depending on passenger load, the average cruise speed of a 747 is 490 nautical miles or Mach 0.85.

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Boeing 747-400 – 1056km/h (656mph) The venerable 747-400 makes it on this list despite being in service for over 35 years. It is the most common variant of the 747, and its mix of long-range and high speed made this a very popular plane with airlines in its heyday.

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The wings of a 747 are nowhere near strong enough to mount an engine capable of supersonic flight. Generally, engines used in aircraft like the Concorde or the F-22 are skinny and long. They also weigh quite a fair amount, further requiring a complete overhaul of the way the engines would be supported.

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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 fastest fighter jet ever created was the NASA/USAF X-15. It was an experimental aircraft that resembled more of a rocket with wings but managed to reach a record 4,520mph. The fastest fighter jet in the world today is the MiG-25 Foxbat, with a top speed of 2,190mph, half the speed of the X-15.

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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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The Boeing 747 is a four-engine wide-body jet airliner that has been in service since 1970. It is one of the most recognizable and iconic aircraft in the world, and has earned the nickname “Queen of the Skies”. The Boeing 747 can fly on one engine only, but it is not recommended or desirable to do so.

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Because of aerodynamics, the cockpit level had to rise and slope back down to the main fuselage, giving us the iconic hump.

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Like the even bigger Airbus A380 (in the foreground), the 747 no longer meets the economic requirements of airlines that prefer long-haul, dual-engine aircraft such as the A350 or the Boeing 777 and 787. In the past year, there were only 20 or so outstanding orders for the 747, all of them for freight carriers.

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Private aircraft can travel faster than commercial airliners. Part of this has to do with the weight of the jet itself. Private jets weigh less than large commercial aircraft, allowing them to ascend and descend faster than commercial jet.

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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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Supercharged: Concorde was the first -- and still only -- passenger aircraft that had turbojet engines with afterburners. Raw fuel was introduced into the exhaust of the plane's four engines, immediately increasing the engines' thrust by almost 20%.

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The short answer is no. While the Concorde was undoubtedly fast, reaching speeds of up to Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h), it fell short of the blistering speeds of a bullet.

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Such speed didn't come cheap, though: A transatlantic flight required the high-maintenance aircraft to gulp jet fuel at the rate of one ton per seat, and the average round-trip price was $12,000.

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Boom Supersonic, the US plane manufacturer, plans to have the answer with its new Overture jet, which is set to transport customers at twice the speed of today's fastest commercial aircraft, and is regarded as the new Concorde.

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Concorde is sadly no longer flying, but it is still possible to visit some of the remaining 18 airframes, there are others not open to the public but you can still see them.

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