The different types of aircraft have evolved enormously over the years. From the Wright brothers’ first powered flight in 1903 through to the new generation of supersonic jets now in development, the history of aviation has been exciting and revolutionary.
There are many different types of aircraft that are used for different purposes, and this article explains 20 of the main types, how they work and what they are used for.
What is an aircraft?
Before looking at the different types of aircraft, it is important to understand exactly what an aircraft is.
An aircraft is any vehicle used to transport people or items through air travel. There are many different types of aircraft, and they have a long history.
Planes and other aircraft are used for a multitude of different purposes. This may be leisure, tourism, military, trade, business or more.
The word used for the human activity involved in aircraft is ‘aviation’.
Jobs in aviation tend to include engineers, pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, controllers, aerospace program managers and more. Below you can read information about the different types of aircraft…
Aircraft Classifications
There are different classifications of aircraft and it is helpful to understand what these are before we delve into the different types of aircraft. The classifications of aircraft can generally be split into two-
- Aerostats
- Aerodynes
These terms may sound complicated, but they are actually quite simple, as explained below.
Aerostats
Aerostats, also referred to as lighter-than-air aircraft, are – as the name suggests – lighter than the air around them.
Aerostats rely on buoyancy to float in the air, using a gas that is less dense than the surrounding air, such as helium, hydrogen or heated air.
Examples of aerostats are hot air balloons and sky lanterns.
Aerodynes
Aerodynes are heavier-than-air aircraft, and these are the most common types of aircraft.
Because they are heavier than air, aerodynes cannot float. Instead, they rely on lift generated by air flowing over wings (in the case of aeroplanes) or rotors (in the case of helicopters).
The different types of aircraft
So, what are the different types of aircraft? The types of aircraft in use have evolved over the years, with new technology being the driving factor. The 20 major types of aircraft are outlined below.
Piston aircraft
A piston is a small plane with piston-powered engines which are connected to the propellers – they can’t fly at high altitudes and can only travel a distance of around 300–400 miles at a time. They can seat 1-6 people in rows of two.
These planes don’t need long runways or traffic control towers and they are often privately owned.
Turboprop aircraft
A turboprop aircraft has one or more gas turbine engines connected to a gearbox, which turns the propellers. Turboprops typically fly at altitudes of around 20,000–30,000 feet, and they are very fuel-efficient over shorter distances.
Turboprop aircraft range from small business aircraft seating a handful of people to regional airliners such as the ATR 72 and De Havilland Dash 8-400, which seat around 70–80 passengers. Many commercial airlines use turboprop aircraft on short-haul and regional routes.
Jet planes
A jet plane is one of the faster types of aircraft – some can even go supersonic, which means they travel faster than the speed of sound.
Some can travel at altitudes of up to 51,000 feet, and they are faster than propeller planes, particularly over longer distances.
Jets are almost-always a fixed wing aircraft, used for a variety of purposes. They also come in a variety of sizes, which you can see below.
Light jet planes
A light jet plane is commonly used as a private jet – they are cheaper to buy than full sized jet planes, though they still typically cost several million dollars to buy. Businesses charter them regularly to fly 1-2 people short distances. There are also very light jets which are similar but even smaller, and usually don’t even have a toilet on board.
Mid-sized jet planes
Mid-sized jets are also used as private jets, especially if whoever owns or is chartering needs space for more passengers; they usually seat 6-10 people. They usually offer 4-5 hours of flight time, and have relatively low operating costs with space for luggage too!
Jumbo jets
‘Jumbo jet’ is the nickname given to the Boeing 747, and the term is often also used for other very large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 – the world’s largest passenger airliner. These are large, wide-bodied, long-range airliners, able to accommodate anywhere from around 350 to more than 500 passengers across different classes, and they fly long distances at high altitudes.
Jumbo jets and other larger jet planes are used for international and long-haul passenger flights mostly.
The 747 has now been retired by most airlines, and Boeing delivered the last one in 2023 after more than 50 years of production; Airbus ended A380 production in 2021. Airlines now generally prefer more fuel-efficient twin-engine wide-bodied aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350. Nevertheless, the 747 was one of the most popular types of aircraft for long-haul flights for decades and will always remain an important part of the history of tourism and aviation.
Commuter liners
Commuter airliners are narrow-bodied planes that are used as feeder planes or air taxis; they can only travel regionally for a short distance. They can generally carry a maximum of 19 passengers.
Concorde
Concorde is one of the most famous types of aircraft of all time, but it is also one of the types of aircraft which is no longer operational.
Concorde was instantly recognisable, with its delta wings and pointed, drooping nose. It was operated by British Airways and Air France from 1976 to 2003, and could fly at more than twice the speed of sound (around 1,350 miles per hour), crossing the Atlantic in around three and a half hours. It typically carried 100 passengers. The sonic boom it created meant it could only fly supersonic over the sea, and high operating costs, a fatal crash in 2000 and the downturn in air travel after 9/11 led to its retirement.
No airline has brought Concorde back, but a new generation of supersonic aircraft is in development (see the end of this article).
Hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a light type of aircraft consisting of a wicker basket with a fabric bag (often called an envelope) attached, inflated by heated air – usually by a propane burner.
Hot air balloons are used for sightseeing mostly as a tourist experience.
The heated air in a hot air balloon makes the contraption buoyant, allowing it to float.
Interestingly, hot air balloons were the first passenger-carrying aircraft, with the first crewed flight taking place in Paris in 1783, in a balloon built by the Montgolfier brothers.
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft, which moves via ‘lift and thrust’ – powered by horizontally spinning rotors. They don’t need a runway, which gives them an advantage over fixed-wing aircraft.
The first mass-produced helicopter, the Sikorsky R-4, entered production in 1942.
Helicopters can fly forward, backward and laterally – many have panoramic windows making them useful for sightseeing, military operations and search and rescue.
Airship
Airships are types of aircraft which navigate under their own power, using a lifting gas which is less dense than the air around it. There are three types of airships – rigid, semi-rigid and non-rigid. They are described as follows:
Non-rigid airships, often called “blimps”, rely on internal pressure to maintain their shape. Semi-rigid airships maintain the envelope shape by internal pressure, but have some form of supporting structure, such as a fixed keel, attached to it. Rigid airships have an outer structural framework that maintains the shape and carries all structural loads, while the lifting gas is contained in one or more internal gasbags or cells.
This description comes from Battlebags, British Airships of the First World War, by C. E. S. Mowthorpe.
A blimp is a famous type of non-rigid airship, as the description says. These are often used by large companies for advertising purposes, especially in the US.
Gliders
This is another type of fixed wing aircraft – however, what separates a glider from a plane is that it does not require an engine! Gliders fly thanks to a dynamic reaction caused by the air against its lifting surfaces. Motor gliders, however, have a small engine that allows them to take off on their own or stay airborne when there isn’t enough rising air to keep them aloft.
Hang gliders are a specific and open type of glider, where the pilot launches on foot and steers by shifting their body weight. Paper planes are also a small and rudimentary example of a glider.
Skiplane
A skiplane is a small type of aircraft, usually a fixed-wing plane, which is attached with a large pair of skis underneath. This gives it the ability to take off from, and land on, snow!
Seaplane
Similarly, a seaplane is a smaller plane – again, usually fixed-wing – which can land on or take off from water. They fall into two categories based on technological characteristics: floatplanes or flying boats. Floatplanes are aeroplanes fitted with floats, while flying boats have a hull that sits in the water like a boat. Seaplanes are widely used to transfer tourists to resorts in the Maldives.
Ornithopter
An ornithopter is one of the most unusual types of aircraft!
This is a little-used form of aircraft which uses flapping wings. They are designed to imitate animals, and as such are usually built to scale making them too small to really transport goods and/or passengers. Ornithopters are usually just built for fun by hobbyists.
Jump Jet
‘Jump Jet’ is the nickname of the Harrier, a British-designed military aircraft capable of vertical and short take-off and landing (V/STOL). It was developed to operate from short runways and aircraft carriers, and has now been largely replaced by the F-35B Lightning II, which can also land vertically.
Freight plane
A freight plane, or cargo aircraft, is the name given to types of aircraft used to carry cargo, goods or freight.
These types of aircraft are not equipped for carrying passengers – the cabin is replaced with space for cargo, and many cargo planes are converted passenger aircraft. They have large cargo doors – often at the front, side or rear – used to load and unload large quantities of goods, and military cargo planes tend to have high wings, numerous wheels and high-mounted tails.
Drones
Drones are types of aircraft formally called ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’ (UAVs). They are small and pilotless, controlled from the ground by radio or even by a smartphone application. Many have cameras attached to them for aerial photography, or are used to transport small and light goods to hard-to-reach areas. Tech Target says:
UAVs were most often associated with the military. They were initially used for anti-aircraft target practice, intelligence gathering and, more controversially, as weapons platforms. Drones are now also used in a range of civilian roles, including the following:
- search and rescue
- surveillance
- traffic monitoring
- weather monitoring
- firefighting
- personal use
- drone-based photography
- videography
- agriculture
- delivery services
A related development is the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, sometimes described as an ‘air taxi’ or ‘flying taxi’. Companies such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation are developing small, electric, piloted aircraft designed to carry a handful of passengers over short distances in cities, with the first commercial services planned in destinations such as Dubai.
A biplane
Biplanes are small planes with two sets of wings one on top of the other.
Biplanes were traditionally used by the military and for some commercial aviation from World War I through the early 1930s. Nowadays, however, they are used only for special purposes such as crop dusting and sport aerobatic flying. You can even wingwalk on a biplane as a tourist experience.
Supersonic aircraft
Last but not least is the supersonic aircraft. Since Concorde’s retirement in 2003, there have been no supersonic passenger flights, but several companies are working to change this. Boom Supersonic is developing Overture, a 64–80-seat airliner designed to fly at 1.7 times the speed of sound and to run on sustainable aviation fuel, and has received orders from airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines and Japan Airlines. Its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft broke the sound barrier in January 2025, and Boom aims to have Overture in service by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft is designed to reduce the sonic boom to a quieter ‘thump’, which could one day allow supersonic flights over land.
Types of aircraft: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about the different types of aircraft.
What are the two main classifications of aircraft?
Aircraft are generally classified as aerostats, which are lighter than air and float using buoyancy (such as hot air balloons and airships), and aerodynes, which are heavier than air and rely on lift from wings or rotors (such as aeroplanes and helicopters).
What are the main types of aircraft?
The main types of aircraft include piston aircraft, turboprops, jets, commuter liners, helicopters, hot air balloons, airships, gliders, seaplanes, cargo planes, drones and supersonic aircraft.
What was the first passenger-carrying aircraft?
The hot air balloon was the first passenger-carrying aircraft. The first crewed balloon flight took place in Paris in 1783, in a balloon built by the Montgolfier brothers.
Is the Boeing 747 still flying?
Yes, although most airlines have retired it. Boeing delivered the last 747 in 2023, and a small number of passenger airlines and many cargo airlines still operate the aircraft.
Will supersonic passenger flights return?
Possibly. Boom Supersonic is developing its Overture airliner, which it aims to put into service by the end of the decade, and NASA is testing technology to make supersonic flight quieter.
Types of aircraft: Further reading
If you found this article on the different types of aircraft useful, these articles may also be of interest:
- 50 types of transport from around the world
- Types of airlines | Made SIMPLE
- Types of hotels | Understanding tourism
- 150 types of tourism! The ultimate tourism glossary
- The fascinating story of the first commercial flight
- Types of rail transport | Understanding tourism
