10 Surprising Facts About The Aircraft Industry

#10 – A Boeing 747 Can Carry 200 Tonnes of Fuel

Here is the first on our “10 surprising facts about the aircraft industry” list. We know airplanes carry passengers, cargo, and military equipment, and we know that some birds can carry impressive amounts of weight for absurdly long distances. But did you ever stop to think about how much fuel aircraft can carry, or how much that fuel weights? Of course you didn’t—you only think about yourself. Jerk.

In reality airplanes carry impressive amounts of fuel—up to 60,000 gallons for larger commercial aircraft. How much does that weight? Well it depends on the type of fuel and its composition, the temperature at the time the plane refueled, and . . . you get the idea. The short answer is that a fully loaded commercial airliner may be carrying as much as 200 tons of fuel, depending on the flight time needed. Makes you wonder why they charge so much for an extra suitcase, doesn’t it?