Narrow-body aircraft

A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin below 4 metres (13 ft) of width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with multiple aisles and a fuselage diameter of more than 5 metres (16 ft) allowing at least seven-abreast seating and often more travel classes.

Four-abreast cross-section

Narrow-body Boeing 737 in front of a Boeing 777 wide-body

Capacity

280 seat Thomas Cook Boeing 757-300[1]

The highest seating capacity of a narrow-body aircraft is 295 passengers in the Boeing 757–300, while wide-body aircraft can accommodate between 250 and 600 passengers.

2-abreast aircraft seats typically 4 to 19 passengers, 3-abreast 24 to 45, 4-abreast 44 to 80, 5-abreast 85 to 130, 6-abreast 120 to 230.[2] For the flight length, medium-haul aircraft are typically the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, while regional airliners typically cover short haul.

Market

Airbus A320 (foreground) and Boeing 737 (background)

Historically, beginning in the late 1960s and continuing through the 1990s, twin engine narrow-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 Classic, McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 and Airbus A320 were primarily employed in short to medium-haul markets requiring neither the range nor the passenger-carrying capacity of that period's wide-body aircraft.[3]

The re-engined B737 MAX and A320neo jets offer 500 miles more range, allowing them to operate the 3,000 miles transatlantic flights between the eastern U.S. and Western Europe, previously dominated by wide-body aircraft. Norwegian Air Shuttle, JetBlue Airways and TAP Portugal will open up direct routes bypassing airline hubs for lower fares between cheaper, smaller airports. The B737NG 3,300-mile range is insufficient for fully laden operations and operate at reduced capacity like the A318, while the Airbus A321LR could replace the less fuel efficient B757s used since its production end in 2004.[4]

Boeing will face competition and pricing pressure from the Embraer E-Jet E2 family, Airbus A220 (formerly Bombardier CSeries) and Comac C919.[5]

Between 2016 and 2035, Flightglobal expects 26,860 single-aisles to be delivered for almost $1380 billion, 45% Airbus A320 family ceo and neo and 43% Boeing 737 NG and max.[6] By June 2018, there was 10,572 Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX orders: 6,068 Airbuses (57%, 2,295 with CFMs, 1,623 with PWs and 2,150 with not yet decided engines) and 4,504 Boeings (43%); 3,446 in Asia-Pacific (33%), 2,349 in Europe (22%), 1,926 in North America (18%), 912 in Latin America (9%), 654 in Middle East (6%), 72 in Africa (1%) and 1,213 not yet bounded (11%).[7]

Many airlines have shown interest in the A321LR or its A321XLR derivative, and other extended-range models, for thin transatlantic and Asia-Pacific routes.[8]

Examples

Six-abreast cabin

Type	Country	Production	Fuselage width	Cabin width	Max. seats	Engines	seat width[lower-alpha 1]
Hawker Siddeley Trident[lower-alpha 2]	UK	1962–1978		344 cm (135 in)[10]	180	3 turbofan[lower-alpha 3]
Bristol Britannia	UK	1952–1960	366 cm (144 in)[11]	350 cm (139 in)[12]	139	4×turboprop
Douglas DC-8[13]	USA	1958–1972	373 cm (147 in)	351.2 cm (138 in)	269	4×turbojet/fan
Ilyushin Il-62[14]	USSR/RU	1963–1995	375 cm (148 in)	349 cm (137 in)	186	4×turbofan
Vickers VC10[15]	UK	1962–1970	375 cm (148 in)	351 cm (138 in)[16]	151	4×turbofan
Boeing 707/Boeing 720[17]	USA	1958–1979	376 cm (148 in)	354 cm (139 in)	219	4×turbojet/fan	17"
Boeing 737[18]	USA	1966–present			220	2×turbofan	17"
Boeing 757[19]	USA	1981–2004			295	2×turbofan	17"
Boeing 727[20]	USA	1963–1984		356 cm (140 in)	189	3×turbofan	16.9"
Tupolev Tu-154[21]	USSR/RU	1968–2013	380 cm (150 in)	358 cm (141 in)	180	3×turbofan
Tupolev Tu-204[22]	RU	1990–present[lower-alpha 4]		357 cm (141 in)	215	2×turbofan
Tupolev Tu-334	RU	1999–2009			102	2×turbofan
Yakovlev Yak-42	USSR/RU	1977–2003		360 cm (142 in)	120	3×turbofan
Dassault Mercure	FR	1971–1975		366 cm (144 in)[23]	162	2×turbofan
Airbus A320 family[24]	Multi	1986–present	395 cm (156 in)	370 cm (146 in)	244	2×turbofan	18"[25]
Comac C919	CN	2016–present	396 cm (156 in)[26]	390 cm (154 in)[27]	174	2×turbofan
Irkut MC-21[28]	RU	2017–present	406 cm (160 in)	381 cm (150 in)	230	2×turbofan
Tupolev Tu-114[lower-alpha 5]	USSR	1958–1963	420 cm (165 in)	406 cm (160 in)[16]	220	4×turboprop

Five-abreast cabin

Type	Country	Production	Fuselage width	Cabin width	Max. seats	Engines	Seat width
de Havilland Comet	UK	1949–1964		292 cm (115 in)[30]	81	4×turbojet
Douglas DC-4/DC-6/DC-7	USA	1942–1958		301 cm (118.5 in)[31]	95	4×piston engine
Sud Aviation Caravelle	FR	1958–1972		301 cm (118.5 in)[32]	80	2×turbojet
Vickers Viscount	UK	1948–1963		305 cm (120 in)[33]	75	4×turboprop
Fokker F28/Fokker 70/Fokker 100	NL	1967–1997	330 cm (130 in)	310 cm (122 in)[34]	122	2×turbofan
Tupolev Tu-144[35]	USSR	1963–1983	330 cm (130 in)[lower-alpha 6][36]		140	4×turbojet
McDonnell Douglas DC-9/MD-80/MD-90/Boeing 717[37]	USA	1965–2006	334.3 cm (131.6 in)	311.2 cm (122.5 in)	172	2×turbofan	17.9"
Antonov An-148/An-158	UKR	2002–present	335 cm (132 in)	313 cm (123 in)[38]	99	2×turbofan
Comac ARJ21[39]	CN	2007–present	336 cm (132 in)	314.3 cm (123.7 in)	105	2×turbofan
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser	USA	1947–1963	335 cm (132 in)[40]	315 cm (124 in)[41]	114	4×piston engine
Ilyushin Il-18	USSR	1957–1985	351 cm (138 in)[42]	315 cm (124 in)[16]	120	4×turboprop
BAC One-Eleven	UK	1963–1989		315 cm (124 in)[34]	119	2×turbofan
Sukhoi Superjet 100	RU	2007–present	345 cm (136 in)[43]^:451	323.6 cm (127 in)[44]	108	2×turbofan
Convair 880	USA	1959–1962		325 cm (128 in)[16]	110	4×turbojet
Convair 990	USA	1961–1963		325 cm (128 in)[16]	149	4×turbofan
Lockheed L-188 Electra	USA	1957–1961		325 cm (128 in)[16]	98	4×turboprop
Lockheed Constellation	USA	1943–1958		328 cm (129 in)[45]	109	4×piston engine
Airbus A220	CAN/Multi	2012–present	350 cm (138 in)[46]	328 cm (129 in)	160	2×turbofan	18.6"
British Aerospace 146[47][lower-alpha 7]	UK	1987–2001	356 cm (140 in)	342 cm (135 in)	112	4×turbofan

Four-abreast cabin

Type	Country	Production	Fuselage width	Cabin width	Max. seats	Engines	Seat width
Yakovlev Yak-40	USSR	1966–1981	240 cm (94 in)	215 cm (85 in)	40	3×turbofan
Douglas DC-3[50]	USA	1936–1942, 1950		250 cm (98 in)	27	2×piston engine
Bombardier Dash 8[51]	CAN	1983–present	269 cm (106 in)	251 cm (99 in)	90	2×turboprop	17.3"
Fokker 27/Fokker 50	NL	1987–1997		254 cm (100 in)[34]	58	2×turboprop
Bombardier CRJ[52]	CAN	1991–present	269 cm (106.1 in)	255 cm (100.5 in)	104	2×turbofan	17.3"
ATR 42/ATR 72[53]	FR/IT	1984–present	280 cm (110 in)	257 cm (101 in)	78	2×turboprop	18"
Concorde	FR/UK	1965–1979		262 cm (103 in)[34]	128	4×turbojet
Tupolev Tu-124	USSR	1960–1965		270 cm (106 in)	56	2×turbofan
Convair CV-240	USA	1947–1954		271 cm (106.5 in)[41]	40	2×piston engine
Tupolev Tu-134[54]	USSR	1966–1984	290 cm (114 in)	271 cm (107 in)[55]	84	2×turbofan
Embraer E-Jet/E-Jet E2[56]	BR	2001–present	301 cm (119 in)	274 cm (108 in)	146	2×turbofan	18"
Mitsubishi Regional Jet[57]	JP	2017–present		276 cm (109 in)	92	2×turbofan	18.5"
Antonov An-24	USSR	1959–1979		277 cm (109 in)[34]	50	2×turboprop

Three-abreast cabin

Type	Country	Production	Fuselage width	Cabin width	Max. seats	Engines	Seat width
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter[58]	CAN	1965–1988, 2008–present	175 cm (69 in)	161 cm (63.2 in)	19	2×turboprop
BAe Jetstream 31/41	UK	1982–1997		185 cm (73 in)[59]	30	2×turboprop
Short 360	UK	1981–1991		193 cm (76 in)[60]	36	2×turboprop
Embraer EMB 120[61]	BR	1983–2001	228 cm (90 in)	210 cm (83 in)	30	2×turboprop	17.3"
Embraer ERJ 145 family[62]	BR	1989–present	228 cm (90 in)	210 cm (83 in)	50	2×turbofan	17.3"
Saab 340/Saab 2000[63]	SWE	1983–1999	231 cm (91 in)	216 cm (85 in)	50	2×turboprop	18.1"
Dornier Do 328	DE	1991–2000		217.2 cm (85.5 in)[64]	32	2×turboprop	18.1"

Two-abreast cabin

Type	Country	Production	Fuselage width	Cabin width	Max. seats	Engines
Beechcraft 1900	USA	1982–2002		1.37m	19	2×turboprop
Beechcraft Model 99	USA	1968–1986			15	2×turboprop
Britten-Norman Islander	UK	1965–present			9	2×piston engine
Britten-Norman Trislander	UK	1970–1982			16	3×piston engine
de Havilland Dove	UK	1946–1947			8–11	2×piston engine
de Havilland Heron	UK	1950–1963			14–17	4×piston engine
Dornier Do 228	Germany	1981–1998, 2009–present			19	2×turboprop
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante	Brazil	1968–1990			19	2×turboprop
Evektor EV-55 Outback	Czech Republic	2011–present			9–14	2×turboprop
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner	USA	1968–2001			19	2×turboprop
GAF Nomad	Australia	1975–1985			12–16	2×turboprop

Image gallery

• 
  Two-abreast Beech 1900
• 
  Four-abreast Dash 8
• 
  Six-abreast Airbus A320

See also

• List of regional airliners
• Regional jet
• Wide-body aircraft

Notes

1. with 2" armrests when not otherwise specified
2. except seven-abreast for Channel Airways[9]
3. +1 booster on some variants
4. limited production
5. up to eight-abreast in tourist class[29]
6. Series Aircraft, 300 cm (118 in) prototype
7. except six-abreast for some operators including CityJet[48] and Mahan Air[49]

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5. Trefis stock analysis (March 6, 2014), "New Entrants Pose a Challenge to Boeing's Share of the Global Commercial Airplane Market", Forbes Great Speculations, Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own
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