By Bjorn Fehrm • Aerospace Analyst
September 17, 2026
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Last week we looked at airliner capacity and size and found that measuring it by seats makes sense, since seats are the primary revenue driver for a passenger aircraft. An airliner also transports belly cargo in what’s left in the cargo bays after the bags are loaded, but aircraft OEMs don’t include this when stating the typical capacity and range of their aircraft.
We found that seating capacity distorts the perceived size of the aircraft, making short-to-medium range single-aisle aircraft look bigger and longer range widebodies look smaller, because cabin installations such as seats, galleys, and lavatories use more space per passenger the longer the aircraft flies.
It’s not only the size of the airplane that gets distorted in the manufacturer’s data; the maximum range with nominal seating is also measured using different yardsticks depending on the manufacturer.
Figure 1 is a graphic from Boeing that shows the maximum range of the 737 Max family versus the previous generation 737s. This data is not directly comparable to Airbus range data. This article explains why, and what it would look like if we measured range using a common method.
Figure 1. The maximum range of the Boeing 737-7 to 737-10. Photo credit: Boeing website.
