Scale Explorer

Vehicles

How big is an Airbus A380?

Airbus A380 · A380-800, the largest passenger airliner

Length
72.73 m 238.6 ft
Wingspan
79.75 m 261.6 ft
Tail height
24.12–24.27 m 79.13–79.63 ft range
Maximum takeoff weight
up to 575,000 kg 634 US tons maximum
Show
Human, Brachiosaurus, Tennis court, Airbus A380 drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m. Brachiosaurus: head height (estimated) ≈ 12 m. Tennis court: length 23.8 m. Airbus A380: length 72.73 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 mBrachiosaurus: ≈ 12 mTennis court: 23.8 mAirbus A380: 72.73 mAirbus A38072.73 mBrachiosaurus≈ 12 mHuman1.61–1.75 mTennis court23.8 m
Everything is drawn to the same scale, standing on the same ground line. Silhouettes are simplified outlines scaled to the measured dimension. A faded outline shows the top of a size range.

Compare Airbus A380 with something else →

Zoom out from an average adult to an Airbus A380

An Airbus A380 is too big to show next to an average adult in one picture, so here it is in 2 steps. Each step is drawn to its own scale and zooms out from the step before.

  1. Step 1 of 2 Human → Megalodon

    A megalodon is about 8.6–15 times as long as an average adult is tall.

    Human, Megalodon drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m. Megalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 mMegalodon: 15–24.3 mMegalodon15–24.3 mHuman1.61–1.75 m
    Step 1: Human and Megalodon at the same scale.

  2. Step 2 of 2 Megalodon → Airbus A380

    An Airbus A380 is about 3–4.8 times as long as a megalodon.

    Megalodon, Airbus A380 drawn to the same scaleMegalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m. Airbus A380: length 72.73 m.Megalodon: 15–24.3 mAirbus A380: 72.73 mAirbus A38072.73 mMegalodon15–24.3 m
    Step 2: Megalodon and Airbus A380 at the same scale.

Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Length 72.73 m 238.6 ft Overall length (238.62 ft) [1]
Wingspan 79.75 m 261.6 ft 261.65 ft [1]
Tail height 24.12–24.27 m 79.13–79.63 ft Ground to top of the vertical tail, varying with weight and centre of gravity. Range: varies [1]
Maximum takeoff weight up to 575,000 kg up to 634 US tons Heaviest weight variant (WV011); other variants are lighter. Maximum [1]

About the Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, four-engine airliner and the largest passenger aircraft built. Airbus's airport planning document gives an overall length of 72.73 m, a wingspan of 79.75 m and a tail height of about 24.1 to 24.3 m. Depending on the weight variant, its maximum takeoff weight is up to 575 tonnes.

How many fit?

  • ≈ 43 × Human · height lined up end to end match the Airbus A380 · length
  • ≈ 6,900 × Human · body mass on the scales weigh as much as Airbus A380 · maximum takeoff weight
  • ≈ 2.5 × Basketball court (NBA) · length lined up end to end match the Airbus A380 · length

Counts divide one sourced figure by another. "End to end" uses each object's main measurement; weight and volume rows appear only when both figures are sourced.

How it compares

  • 43× An Airbus A380 is about 43 times as long as an average adult is tall. See side by side
  • 2.5× An Airbus A380 is about 2.5 times as long as an NBA basketball court. See side by side
  • 1.5× An Airbus A380 is about 1.5 times as long as an Olympic swimming pool. See side by side
  • 1/1 An Airbus A380 is about as long as a Boeing 747. See side by side
  • 1/1.3 Big Ben is about 1.3 times as tall as an Airbus A380 is long. See side by side
  • 1/2.6 The Gateway Arch is about 2.6 times as tall as an Airbus A380 is long. See side by side

Factors compare the length of an Airbus A380 with each object’s own main measurement (height for a human). Where a size varies, the factor is given as a range.

Notes on these figures

  • Heights depend on the aircraft's weight and balance; the range covers the loading cases in Airbus's table.

Sources

  1. Airbus, A380 Aircraft Characteristics: Airport and Maintenance Planning (revision of December 2025). Accessed 24 September 2026.

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