These are the biggest airplanes in the world today - including one that can carry as many as 850 passengers

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• Airlines have been moving toward more flights with smaller aircraft, rather than fewer flights with bigger planes, but the biggest passenger planes in the history of aviation continue to fly today - and likely will for years to come.
• Alongside them, gigantic cargo planes, purpose-built commercial aircraft, and military transport jets are all still needed to move shipments and equipment around the world.
• Read on to take a look at the biggest planes that are in service today, from the spacious and comfortable A380, to the minimalistic, revolutionary Stratolaunch.

Over the past half-decade, the world's airlines have increasingly found that smaller is better for long-haul flying.

Rather than moving a ton of passengers at once in behemoth planes, the better option is to offer more flights, to more places, on smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

However, the world's biggest planes won't disappear anytime soon. The biggest passenger jets ever built - which are set to continue flying for years to come - commercial freighters and military transport planes continue to reach new heights (and lengths, wingspans, and weights).

These aircraft are all marvels of modern engineering from, from customized jets built to haul parts for newer aircraft, to double-decker passenger planes that can carry more passengers from ever before.

Read on for the biggest planes that grace the skies today.

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