Jet Speeds Uncovered: How Fast Do Commercial Airplanes Fly? (2024)

In this article we’ll answer the common question, how fast do planes fly.

There are a lot of factors that go into how fast commercial aircraft fly. In this article we’ll go over all of these factors but before we do, here’s the flight speeds of many common commercial aircraft.

What Impacts the Speed of a Plane?

Airplane speed is a confusing subject because airplanes operate in the atmosphere, which is itself moving around.

When driving down the road in your car, your speed is a simple matter of miles per hour (or kilometers per hour, outside the US). But pilots and aircraft designers think about a lot more.

Fundamentally, the speed that matters to airline route planners and passengers is the speed the plane flies across the ground from Point A to Point B.

This is known as the ground speed.

This is exactly like driving your car, and the math is easy. If you go 60 mph for three hours, you’ll go 180 miles toward your destination. Ground speed is the airspeed of a plane with tailwinds added or headwinds subtracted.

Inside the co*ckpit, however, the pilot and plane are worried about how much air moves over the wings.

Jet Speeds Uncovered: How Fast Do Commercial Airplanes Fly? (1)

This measurement is called airspeed, and there are a few different types. True airspeed vs indicated airspeed.

True Airspeed (TAS) is the most accurate because it accounts for the air temperature and density, which changes with weather and altitude. Aircraft have airspeed gauges, but they often show Indicated Airspeed (IAS), which is less accurate and needs to be corrected.

How Is a Plane’s Speed Measured?

Aviators use nautical miles for measuring distance, which are different than the statute miles used in the US highway system. 1 NM is approximately 1.15 SM and one nautical mile per hour is called a “knot.” Therefore, aircraft speeds are typically reported in knots, not mph.

Jets have limitations on their design—they can’t fly too slow, but they also can’t fly too fast. Typical commercial airplanes are not designed to fly faster than the speed of sound, also known as Mach 1.

If they get too fast, the air begins forming shockwaves along the wing that can cause the aircraft to become uncontrollable. The speed they cannot exceed is called the Maximum Mach Number, or the Mmo.

How fast you’re flying in terms of Mach numbers requires some math, so a machmeter is included in planes where this is an issue. A machmeter means the pilot can see that they are not exceeding the Mmo without thinking about all the math. As a result, when a commercial airplane is flying at altitude, it is flying at a safe designed Mach number.

You might see the speeds of aircraft counted in either knots or Mach.

Different Speeds During Flight

It’s important to realize that aircraft don’t always fly at the same speed. For one thing, there’s a speed limit in the sky. All aircraft below 10,000 feet must slow down to 250 knots or less. Near busy airports, they must slow to 200 knots or less.

But beyond that, all aircraft have flight profiles that are followed on every flight. The pilots set the most efficient climbing, cruising, and descent settings.

Climb Speeds

Getting to a safe altitude as quickly as possible is always a priority because more altitude means more choices should there be an emergency or a loss of power.

This means getting off the runway with the best rate of climb, which will give you a lot of altitude quickly but at a slower forward speed.

However, the pilot will transition to a more efficient climb profile once the plane is at a safe altitude.

This means lowering the nose, reducing the engine power, and getting more forward speed at the expense of a slower climb rate.

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Cruise Speed

The flight’s cruise phase is also done using a pre-arranged profile.

The pilot will set a desired engine power (and fuel burn) for the given flight, and the resulting airspeed or Mach number will determine their ground speed and range.

When looking at the cruise speed numbers above, you’ll notice that most airliners are remarkably similar in performance.

A Maximum Mach number of 0.9–0.95 is about all that is possible in a sub-sonic transport aircraft. This is because air is accelerated as it flows over some parts of the aircraft. So even though the plane’s speed is less than Mach 1, some airflow over parts of the plane is much closer to the speed of sound.

Without making the entire aircraft capable of supersonic flight, these planes are limited to somewhere around this speed.

What’s more, the air is far less dense at altitude than it is near the surface. Jet engines operate very efficiently there, but the aircraft’s wing does not.

It must fly very fast to have enough air flowing over it to avoid stalling.

For this reason, many airliners operate in a small window between fast enough to not stall and slow enough not to exceed the Mmo. The result is that many airliners today are flying around at roughly the same speeds.

At cruise speeds aircraft will sometimes have to change their speeds when flying through turbulence.

Descent Speeds

So, how fast do commercial aircraft fly during the descent?

Commercial planes make two types of descent: a cruise descent and a landing approach. Cruise descent means losing altitude without building up too much forward speed and exceeding their Mmo.

There is little change in their forward speed since they just reduce engine thrust and let gravity do the rest.

Descending through 10,000 feet means abiding by the 250-knot speed limit.

This requires less power and perhaps drag devices like air spoilers to slow the aircraft down. Since less air flows over the wings as it slows down, the pilot will use flaps to increase the lift the wings can make.

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Approaching the airport means slowing down as much as possible while maintaining control of the aircraft. Most planes are shooting approaches at 150 knots or less.

This requires using wing flaps and other high-lift devices to maintain control.

Supersonic Air Travel

So how fast do commercial planes fly if they’re going at supersonic speeds?

“I wanna go fast.” -Ricky Bobby

No discussion of commercial airplane speeds would be complete without mentioning the Concorde.

The world’s only supersonic airliner flew in regular service from 1976 to 2003 for Air France and British Airways. The plane provides insight into why many modern commercial airplanes look and perform as they do today.

The Concorde set several records and logged more supersonic hours than any other aircraft before or since.

In 1996 a British Airways “Speedbird” flew from New York to London in 2 hours, 52 minutes thanks to a 175 mph tailwind. In 1992 and 1995, the same Air France Concorde set records circumnavigating the globe (east and westbound, albeit with many fuel stops each way). The quickest was the 1995 eastbound trip which was done in 31 hours, 27 minutes.

Only 20 Concordes were ever built, and while flying on the special plane was a sign of status, supersonic air travel never really took off.

For one thing, the plane was a gas guzzler and very expensive to operate. For another, the sonic booms it produced meant that it could only ever fly at those airspeeds over the open ocean. That made its feasibility for legs like New York to Los Angeles virtually nill.

New technologies may be changing the math, however. Several startups have begun designing new SSTs (supersonic transports, as the Concorde was called).

These new designs, built with modern techniques and computer-aided design, aim to reduce the sonic boom impact and improve fuel economy. Boom Supersonic has been making headlines with its planned Overture airliner and has secured orders from United and American Airlines.

While it hasn’t flown yet, the projected cruise speed of the Overture is Mach 1.75, making a flight from London to New York in about 3 hours, 30 minutes.

What Is a Commercial Plane?

When most people think of a commercial plane, they envision the airliner they’re booking tickets on. Commercial aviation has a lot of components, and airlines are the most visible part.

The most common type of airliner used today is a twin-engine turbofan.

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Boeing and Airbus are major manufacturers, although Embraer and several other makers are now making smaller models. These planes are designed and built based on the airlines’ need to carry so many people so many miles at a time as efficiently as possible.

So, different models are made for short, medium, and long-haul flights.

And, of course, planes range from small models with 50 seats (or even less in some cases) to large “heavies” that can carry 500 or more.

When an airline decides which planes to buy and which routes to fly it on, it always comes down to dollars and cents.

Flying a large-capacity, long-haul plane nearly empty on short legs means not covering the flight’s cost and losing money. So airlines must constantly analyze the planes they have and want based on how they operate them.

More to the point, the speed at which a plane operates is a factor of its efficiency.

Ideally, the quicker one flight is done, then another can begin—with a new batch of paying customers. But getting there fast isn’t the only factor because flying faster uses more fuel.

Jet Speeds Uncovered: How Fast Do Commercial Airplanes Fly? (2024)

FAQs

Jet Speeds Uncovered: How Fast Do Commercial Airplanes Fly? ›

In general, their cruising speed can range from 478 to 521 knots (550-600 mph). Meanwhile, these aircraft only reach 140 to 156 knots (160-180 mph) when taking off.

How fast do commercial jet planes fly? ›

Commercial jet airliners, have a range of cruising speeds, but most fly at speeds between Mach 0.74 and Mach 0.85. That's 480 to 575 mph or 770 to 930 km/h.

What is the average speed of a commercial airplane? ›

One key finding is that commercial planes generally have an average cruising speed of around 575 miles per hour (925 kilometers per hour).

How fast does a 747 commercial airplane go? ›

As the fastest wide-body airplane in the world, the Boeing 747 can take off at 160 kts (184 mph) and cruise at an astonishing 660 mph (Mach 0.86). Meanwhile, the 747's setting chosen will determine the approximate speed to land—between 145 and 150 kts (166 and 172 mph).

How fast do planes actually go? ›

On average, commercial planes cruise at about 575-600 mph (925-965 km/h, 500 to 521 knots, 0.78 to 0.81 Mach). Private jets typically cruise at around 500-600 mph (805-965 km/h, 435 to 521 knots, 0.68 to 0.81 Mach). Military aircraft can exceed 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h, 1,297 knots, 2.08 Mach).

Do private jets fly as fast as commercial? ›

Is a Private Jet Faster Than a Commercial Plane? Size and altitude are core reasons a private jet flies faster than a regular plane. Private charter jets can fly at increased cruising speeds than commercial aircraft, with an average cruising speed of 500 mph, measured as 434 knots.

What is the fastest commercial jet still flying? ›

The fastest commercial airliner still in service today is the 50-year-old Boeing 747, which can reach speeds of up to Mach 0.92, or 706 mph at sea level.

Do commercial planes fly at full speed? ›

The speed of commercial planes varies depending on the phase of the flight, and each plays a unique role in how these aircraft operate. In general, their cruising speed can range from 478 to 521 knots (550-600 mph). Meanwhile, these aircraft only reach 140 to 156 knots (160-180 mph) when taking off.

Why do planes speed up before landing? ›

The aircraft flares just before touching down. It descends with a constant velocity, and just before touching down pulls the nose up to reduce the descent. This results in a higher angle of attack, more lift, and a vertical deceleration of the airplane.

Do commercial planes have a speed limit? ›

Different Speeds During Flight

For one thing, there's a speed limit in the sky. All aircraft below 10,000 feet must slow down to 250 knots or less. Near busy airports, they must slow to 200 knots or less. But beyond that, all aircraft have flight profiles that are followed on every flight.

What is the fastest a 747 has ever flown? ›

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.

What is the slowest speed a 747 can fly? ›

the aircraft could fly probably NO LESS than 150 mph as you have to maintain lift over the wings. Its has massive wings to keep it up. Airplanes. B747-400 Initial Buffet Speed 100-230 kts depending on weight, configuration and pressure altitude (0 – 10,000 feet).

What's the fastest passenger plane in the world? ›

What is the fastest jet that is commercially available? The fastest private passenger jet would be the Cessna Citation X+, capable of Mach 0.935 or about 717 miles per hour. The fastest commercial passenger jet would be the Boeing 747–8i (i=International), clocking out at Mach 0.855 or 655 miles per hour.

Do planes fly faster at night? ›

Does the time of day affect how fast a plane flies? Nope. The weather, namely the wind, can greatly affect an airplane's speed, but not the time of day.

How fast do helicopters go? ›

How Fast Can A Helicopter Go? The common speed range falls between 75 and 150 MPH (about 65 to 130 knots). Utility helicopters typically operate at lower speeds for civilian tasks or short-haul distances.

Do planes fly faster the higher they are? ›

Airplanes fly faster at higher altitudes because of density. As an airplane climbs and its altitude increases, it will be exposed to less dense air. The air becomes thinner and less dense at higher altitudes. Not only does this improve fuel efficiency; the less dense air allows airplanes to fly faster.

Can a jet go 5000 mph? ›

Flying faster than any other aircraft ever built, NASA's X-43A “Hyper X” plane reached a top speed of about 5,000 mph, or about a mile and a half per second, before being intentionally ditched in the ocean.

Can a jet go 1000 mph? ›

Military jets are faster, with some capable of supersonic speeds exceeding 1,000 mph (1,609 kph).

What planes go 500 mph? ›

Cruising Speeds for Common Commercial Airplanes
Aircraft TypeCruise MachMPH
Boeing 737 MAXMach 0.79521 mph
Airbus A320neoMach 0.78518 mph
Boeing 747-8Mach 0.855564 mph
Boeing 787 DreamlinerMach 0.85562 mph
3 more rows
Feb 22, 2024

How fast can a US fighter jet fly? ›

That's why all modern fighter jets are capable of supersonic flight. Multi-role fighters like the F-35s and F/A-18Es can fly at Mach 1.6 (1,190 mph). Interceptors like the F-16 prioritize high speed over stealth or carrier operations, so they fly faster at up to Mach 2 (1,353 mph).

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