When a client calls us about moving a transformer, a helicopter, or a factory press by air, the first number they quote is almost always the wrong one. They ask for the plane with the biggest payload, when what actually decides the job is whether the cargo fits through the door and into the hold in one piece. At GetTransport.com we arrange outsize and heavy air charters often enough to know that payload, internal volume, and main-deck door size are three separate constraints, and the aircraft that wins on tonnes frequently loses on shape. So here is the 2026 ranking of the biggest cargo planes by maximum payload, drawn from manufacturer and reference specifications, along with the volume-and-door reality that determines what you can really load.
The ranking by maximum payload
The figures below are the maximum structural payloads published by the aircraft makers and compiled in standard references such as Wikipedia's cargo aircraft tables. Treat them as ceilings. Real-world loads are almost always lower once fuel for the route, weather reserves and centre-of-gravity limits are factored in, which is a point we come back to when a client fixates on the headline tonnage.
| Rank | Aircraft | Type / status | Max payload (per manufacturer / references) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonov An-225 Mriya | Outsize; single aircraft, destroyed 2022 | about 250 tonnes |
| 2 | Antonov An-124 Ruslan | Outsize charter workhorse; in service | up to about 150 tonnes (structural) |
| 3 | Boeing 747-8F | Largest production freighter; in service | about 134 tonnes |
| 4 | Lockheed C-5 Galaxy | Military outsize; in service | about 122 tonnes |
| 5 | Airbus A350F | New-generation freighter; entry now expected late 2027 | about 111 tonnes |
| 6 | Boeing 777F | Long-haul workhorse; in service, production ending late 2026 | about 103 tonnes |
| 7 | McDonnell Douglas MD-11F | Trijet freighter; UPS retired its fleet, FedEx returned some in 2026 | about 92 tonnes |
| 8 | Boeing C-17 Globemaster III | Military airlifter; in service | about 77 tonnes |
| 9 | Boeing 767-300F | Medium widebody freighter; in service | about 53 tonnes |
Two of the top four are not aircraft a commercial shipper can simply book on a schedule. The An-225 no longer exists, and the C-5 is a military asset. That leaves the An-124 as the practical outsize option and the 747-8F as the largest production freighter you can charter or buy space on, which is why those two do most of the heavy work in our world.
The An-225, and why the record holder no longer flies
The Antonov An-225 Mriya held every relevant record. It was built as a single aircraft in the Soviet era to carry the Buran space shuttle, and with a maximum payload around 250 tonnes it could lift loads no other plane could touch. It was destroyed in February 2022 at Hostomel airport near Kyiv during the early days of the war in Ukraine. We mention it because clients still ask for it by name, and the honest answer is that the world's single largest cargo aircraft is gone, with reconstruction talked about but not delivered.
Its loss removed real capacity from the outsize market. Cargo that once fit the An-225 in one lift now has to be broken down, split across two An-124 rotations, or moved by sea and road instead. That reshaping of the top end is a live constraint we plan around whenever a load pushes past what the An-124 can swallow.
The An-124, the workhorse of outsize charter
With the An-225 gone, the Antonov An-124 Ruslan is the aircraft we reach for when cargo will not fit a standard freighter. Antonov's structural figure puts its ceiling near 150 tonnes, though typical commercial loads run closer to 120 tonnes once fuel and reserves are counted. What sets the An-124 apart is not only weight. It has a nose that opens and a rear ramp, an onboard crane system, and a hold sized for genuinely large single pieces, so it can self-load a generator or a locomotive that no side-door freighter could accept.
The catch is availability and cost. The global An-124 fleet is small and now split across a handful of operators, with the Ukrainian and Russian aircraft separated by the war and their maintenance and support chains under strain, so usable capacity is tighter and less predictable than it once was. Charter rates are high and lead times stretch when demand spikes around energy projects or disaster relief, which is why we treat it as a specialist tool priced and booked well ahead rather than something you summon at short notice.
The 747-8F, the biggest production freighter you can actually book
For palletized and containerized air freight rather than single outsize pieces, the Boeing 747-8F is the largest option in scheduled and charter service, with a maximum payload around 134 tonnes. Production of the 747 ended in 2023, so no new ones are being built, but the freighters already flying will remain a backbone of long-haul cargo for years. Its nose door is the feature that keeps it relevant, because it lets operators load long items straight in along the main deck.
Behind it, the Boeing 777F is the aircraft that actually moves most of the world's long-haul general air freight. Its payload is lower, around 103 tonnes, but it burns far less fuel per trip as a twin-engine jet, which is why it appears on so many of the trade lanes we book. Its own production is winding down now, with the current 777F line set to close at the end of 2026 and its successor the 777-8F not expected before 2028. The new Airbus A350F, with a payload near 111 tonnes and the widest main-deck cargo door in the industry at about 4.3 metres, is positioned as the efficiency rival, though its entry into service has slipped to the second half of 2027.
Payload versus volume versus door size
Here is the operator lesson that the ranking hides. Payload is only the first of the constraints that decide a charter. The second is internal volume, because a lot of air freight is light and bulky rather than dense, so an aircraft can run out of cubic space long before it runs out of weight allowance. The third is the door and hold geometry, since a piece that is too tall or too wide simply will not go in regardless of how many tonnes the plane could theoretically carry.
That is why we ask for dimensions and weight together before we quote outsize air, and why an An-124 with its nose door and tall hold can beat a heavier-on-paper option for an awkwardly shaped load. Air is the fastest mode by far, but it is also the most shape-sensitive, and the same scale trade-offs show up when we compare it against how much a single sailing can carry on the biggest container ships.
What this ranking changes about how we book air freight
Read as an operating guide rather than a spec sheet, the list shapes a few decisions we make on a client's behalf:
- For genuine outsize single pieces we plan around the An-124 early, because the fleet is small and the An-225 that once absorbed the very largest loads is gone.
- For heavy palletized freight we look first at the 747-8F, the largest production freighter still in service, while accepting that no new ones are being built.
- For dense long-haul general cargo we expect a 777F today, and we plan for a tighter freighter market as the 747-8F and 777F lines close while the A350F and 777-8F run late.
- We collect weight and full dimensions before quoting, because volume and door size decide as many outsize jobs as tonnage does.
- We treat published maximum payloads as ceilings, not booking figures, since route fuel and reserves pull the usable load below the headline number.
One planning point matters more each year. With the 747-8F out of production, the 777F line closing in 2026, and both the A350F and 777-8F arriving late, large-freighter capacity is tightening, so booking outsize or heavy charters months ahead is becoming essential rather than optional. The hub the aircraft flies through matters as much as the aircraft itself, which is why we read this list alongside the busiest cargo airports when we plan a lift. The plane sets what you can carry; the airport sets how reliably you can move it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest cargo plane in the world in 2026?
By maximum payload the Antonov An-225 Mriya was the largest at about 250 tonnes, but it was destroyed in February 2022 and no longer flies. Among aircraft still in service the Antonov An-124 Ruslan leads outsize charter with a structural ceiling near 150 tonnes, and the Boeing 747-8F is the largest production freighter you can book at around 134 tonnes.
Why does the biggest plane not always win the job?
Because payload is only one constraint. Internal volume matters for light and bulky freight that fills the hold before it hits the weight limit, and door and hold geometry decide whether an outsize piece physically fits. An An-124 with a nose door and tall hold can beat a heavier-rated freighter for an awkwardly shaped load.
What happened to the Antonov An-225?
The world's single largest cargo aircraft was destroyed in February 2022 at Hostomel airport near Kyiv during the war in Ukraine. Reconstruction has been discussed but not delivered, so its roughly 250-tonne capacity is out of the market, and the very largest loads now have to be split across smaller aircraft or moved by sea and road.