Aircraft rankings · Absolute ceiling · 79 aircraft
Highest-Flying Aircraft (Absolute Ceiling)
The Bombardier Global 5000 has the highest absolute ceiling of all 79 aircraft types in our database: 51,000 ft (15,545 m). Among airliners, the Boeing 747-100 leads with 45,100 ft (13,746 m).
#1Bombardier Global 500051,000 ft (15,545 m)
#2Bombardier Global 700051,000 ft (15,545 m)
#3Bombardier Global Express51,000 ft (15,545 m)
| # | Aircraft | Absolute ceiling | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bombardier Global 5000 GL5T |
51,000 ft (15,545 m) | Business & light jets |
| 2 | Bombardier Global 7000 GL7T |
51,000 ft (15,545 m) | Business & light jets |
| 3 | Bombardier Global Express GLEX |
51,000 ft (15,545 m) | Business & light jets |
| 4 |  Boeing 747-100 B741 |
45,100 ft (13,746 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 5 |  Boeing 747-200 B742 |
45,100 ft (13,746 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 6 |  Boeing 747-300 B743 |
45,100 ft (13,746 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 7 |  Boeing 747-400 B744 |
45,100 ft (13,746 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 8 |  Boeing 747SP B74S |
45,100 ft (13,746 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 9 |  Bombardier Challenger 300 CL30 |
45,000 ft (13,716 m) | Business & light jets |
| 10 |  Bombardier Challenger 350 CL35 |
45,000 ft (13,716 m) | Business & light jets |
| 11 |  Boeing 747-8 B748 |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 12 |  Boeing 767-200 B762 |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 13 | Boeing 767-300 B763 | 43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 14 |  Boeing 767-400 B764 |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 15 |  Boeing 777-200 B772 |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 16 |  Boeing 777-200LR B77L |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 17 |  Boeing 777-300 B773 |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 18 |  Boeing 777-300ER B77W |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 19 |  Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner B788 |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 20 |  Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner B789 |
43,100 ft (13,137 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 21 |  Boeing 720 B720 |
42,000 ft (12,802 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 22 |  Boeing 727-100 B721 |
42,000 ft (12,802 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 23 |  Boeing 727-200 B722 |
42,000 ft (12,802 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 24 |  Boeing 757-200 B752 |
42,000 ft (12,802 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 25 |  Boeing 757-300 B753 |
42,000 ft (12,802 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 26 |  Airbus A330-200 A332 |
41,450 ft (12,634 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 27 |  Airbus A330-300 A333 |
41,450 ft (12,634 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 28 | Airbus A330-800neo A338 | 41,450 ft (12,634 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 29 |  Airbus A330-900neo A339 |
41,450 ft (12,634 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 30 |  Airbus A340-300 A343 |
41,450 ft (12,634 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 31 |  Airbus A340-500 A345 |
41,450 ft (12,634 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 32 |  Airbus A340-600 A346 |
41,450 ft (12,634 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 33 |  Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner B78X |
41,100 ft (12,527 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 34 |  Airbus A340-200 A342 |
41,100 ft (12,527 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 35 | Boeing 737 MAX 10 B3JM | 41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 36 |  Boeing 737 MAX 7 B37M |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 37 |  Boeing 737 MAX 8 B38M |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 38 |  Boeing 737 MAX 9 B39M |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 39 |  Boeing 737-600 B736 |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 40 |  Boeing 737-700 B737 |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 41 |  Boeing 737-800 B738 |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 42 |  Boeing 737-900 B739 |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 43 |  Airbus A220-100 BCS1 |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 44 |  Airbus A220-300 BCS3 |
41,000 ft (12,497 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 45 |  Airbus A318 A318 |
39,800 ft (12,131 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 46 |  Airbus A319 A319 |
39,100 ft (11,918 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 47 |  Airbus A319neo A19N |
39,100 ft (11,918 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 48 |  Airbus A320 A320 |
39,100 ft (11,918 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 49 |  Airbus A320neo A20N |
39,100 ft (11,918 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 50 |  Airbus A321 A321 |
39,100 ft (11,918 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 51 |  Airbus A321neo A21N |
39,100 ft (11,918 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 52 |  Boeing 717-200 B712 |
37,000 ft (11,278 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 53 |  Boeing 737-100 B731 |
37,000 ft (11,278 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 54 |  Boeing 737-200 B732 |
37,000 ft (11,278 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 55 |  Boeing 737-300 B733 |
37,000 ft (11,278 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 56 |  Boeing 737-400 B734 |
37,000 ft (11,278 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 57 |  Boeing 737-500 B735 |
37,000 ft (11,278 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 58 |  Airbus A330-743L Beluga XL A337 |
35,200 ft (10,729 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 59 |  British Aerospace BAe 146-100 B461 |
35,000 ft (10,668 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 60 |  British Aerospace BAe 146-200 B462 |
35,000 ft (10,668 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 61 |  British Aerospace BAe 146-300 B463 |
35,000 ft (10,668 m) | Airliners & big jets |
| 62 |  Airbus Defence and Space CN235 CN35 |
30,000 ft (9,144 m) | Turboprops |
| 63 |  Airbus Defence and Space C212 C212 |
25,000 ft (7,620 m) | Turboprops |
| 64 |  Airbus Defence and Space C295 C295 |
25,000 ft (7,620 m) | Turboprops |
| 65 |  Airbus Helicopters H125 AS50 |
23,000 ft (7,010 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 66 |  Airbus Helicopters H130 EC30 |
23,000 ft (7,010 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 67 |  Airbus Helicopters H120 Colibri EC20 |
20,000 ft (6,096 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 68 |  Airbus Helicopters H135 EC35 |
20,000 ft (6,096 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 69 |  Airbus Helicopters H145 EC45 |
20,000 ft (6,096 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 70 |  Airbus Helicopters H160 H160 |
20,000 ft (6,096 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 71 |  Airbus Helicopters H215 AS32 |
20,000 ft (6,096 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 72 | Airbus Helicopters H225 EC25 | 20,000 ft (6,096 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 73 |  Airbus Helicopters AS355 Écureuil 2 AS55 |
16,000 ft (4,877 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 74 | Avantage A-31 Spectrum A31 | 15,000 ft (4,572 m) | Piston & light aircraft |
| 75 |  Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphin AS65 |
15,000 ft (4,572 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 76 |  Airbus Helicopters H155 EC55 |
15,000 ft (4,572 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 77 |  Airbus Helicopters H175 EC75 |
15,000 ft (4,572 m) | Helicopters & rotorcraft |
| 78 | Avantage A-29 A29 | 12,000 ft (3,658 m) | Piston & light aircraft |
| 79 | Avantage A-35 Scanner A35 | 12,000 ft (3,658 m) | Piston & light aircraft |
No aircraft matches your search.
Ranking of the 79 aircraft types with a published absolute ceiling. Data: What is flying? database (ODbL 1.0).
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Frequently asked questions
Which aircraft has the highest absolute ceiling?
The Bombardier Global 5000 has the highest absolute ceiling of all 79 aircraft types in our database: 51,000 ft (15,545 m). Among airliners, the Boeing 747-100 leads with 45,100 ft (13,746 m).
What is the average Absolute ceiling of an aircraft?
Across the 79 aircraft types with published figures the average is 36,385 ft (11,090 m); the lowest value belongs to the Avantage A-35 Scanner (12,000 ft (3,658 m)).
Which aircraft are in the top 5?
#1 Bombardier Global 5000, #2 Bombardier Global 7000, #3 Bombardier Global Express, #4 Boeing 747-100 and #5 Boeing 747-200.