Nicest Jets

Twenty aircraft for aviation enthusiasts - from Boeing to Airbus

The sky is pulsating with activities at all times - revenue passenger kilometres have risen by 85% over the last 15 years and Airbus' Global Market Forecast 2015 forecasts growth of 145% to 2034. The increasing consolidations in the aviation sector, fuelled by enormous demand for equity and enormous scaling effects, mean that we are operating in an ever tighter spectrum of jetliners.

Whilst there is much to see on the latest model aircrafts, those looking for unorthodox flight experience will have to make more effort. Here, in part one of our legendary aeroplane selections, in which today's aeronautical fan may still be able to enjoy flight, are 20 of our favourite aeroplanes from the last 50 years.

The Twin Otter, often used as a small community jet, is a small, sturdy plane, yet still able to make the most unbelievable landing. That plane is certainly known to today' heavy flyers. Boeing 737 is the best-selling commercial jet of all times. This means that in the near future you will hardly run out of possibilities to use a Boeing 737.

The Boeing 737, which is approaching its 50-year jubilee, is still strong: The upgraded MAX model flown for the first time in January 2016 and already has an order backlog of several thousand. Only a few planes have reached the icon state of the Boeing 747, generally known as the Jumbo Jet. In spite of the fact that the latest heteration, the Boeing 747-8, was not a great marketing hit and many carriers have begun to pull back previous releases of the model, there are still so many jumbos in use that the possibilities of flying a Boeing 747 will last for years.

Currently, the biggest carriers are large carriers such as British Airways and Lufthansa. Though its main task since its entry into Soviet Air Force operation in 1974 has been providing airlift, the Il-76 is able to perform a variety of other tasks, from fire-fighting to personal transportation.

Il-76 is a dependable, robust, four-engined airplane that can be used by unsealed, small take-off and landing strips, airborne paratroops or supply goods in areas of conflict. That' probably one of the strangest planes out there. Originally a UK short-haul aeroplane, the Avro RJ range was later further developed to offer a very striking styling with a high-capacity wings and four power plants.

Jumbolino was the name given to some version because of its four power plants and broad cab, both of which are uncommon for a local jet. Despite the fact that the overall fleets have declined since ceasing in 2003, there are still a large number of them, the main ones being Swiss, Brussels Airlines and CityJet.

Nigerian Air Force ATR 42-500 Maritime Patrolcraft, exhibited in Lagos in 2014. Airbus for jets is ATR for smaller turbo-prop jets. During the early 1980s the company Aerospatiale (now part of Airbus) of France and the Italian company Alenia merged to develop a local aeroplane. This resulted in the ATR 42 and later its bigger derivate, the ATR 72, which were both very popular in their niche markets.

A number of carriers operate the ATR 42. Aeromar in Mexico and HOP! are among the biggest carriers! When the Boeing 737 is added to this schedule, the Airbus 320 must also be here. Even though it was first flown in 1987 - two years later than its predecessor - the Airbus' Airbus was able to overtake the Boeing 737 and even surpass it.

"Andy Foster, Air Transport Management Senior Teacher at Cranfield University, said: "The Airbus A 320 was Airbus' answer to the Boeing 737 and was a pioneer in airliner fly-by-wire and side-stick control systems, and the A 320 has produced an entire airliner range, from the smaller A318 and A 319 to the elongated A 321, which provides airline companies with great fleet design freedom without compromising efficiencies by pooling shared technologies.

Like the Boeing 737, the Airbus' Airbus A320 is still an emerging airplane. The enthusiasm it arouses makes it possible to imagine that the Airbus A380 is the biggest airplane in the whole wide open air area. The six-engine jet engine Riese was initially conceived for transporting the Russian Spaceshuttle on its back, but was later transformed into air cargo that no other airplane is able to transport - a task it still fulfils today.

You have to persuade the carrier Antonov Airlines to take you with them. Schwanengesang of the Sovjet civil production industries, this wide-bodied, four-engined wide-body aircraft, was first flown when the USSR was in its final stages. A340 is a four-engined long-range aircraft developed by Airbus in the 1980s to compete with the then dominant American A340.

Flying in typical 260 to 350 seat configuration, it was competing in a sector between the bigger Boeing 747 and the smaller Boeing 767. For example, the A340-600 with its long, slim body is a landmark, while the A340-500 specialises in long distance flights such as Singapore to New York.

But the A340 went out of action because twin-jet jets like the Airbus A330 or the Boeing 777 were able to do the same thing while using less propellant. A lot of carriers have phased them out, but there are still more than 200 worldwide. It was this aeroplane series that contributed significantly to the popularisation of the local jets approach.

Canada based company Bombardier has created various different size models of this stylised plane, from 50 to 100 seat classes. There are currently several hundred CFJs in service, and this model is particularly well-liked by North American and European carriers. With a typical long-haul capacity of between 300 and 450 seats, many a superlative can be used to describe the Boeing 777 (or Triple Seven, as it is commonly known): the first 100% digital commercially built plane, the plane with the biggest turbofans, the best-selling wide-body.

The Boeing 777X, due to go into operation in 2020, will be the world's biggest twin-engine aircraft. Boeing 777 was a favourite with many carriers, among them British Airways, Emirates and Air France. Embraer, the Brazil-based company, has secured a significant stake in the local jets segment with its E-Jet line, which comprises the E170/175 with 70 to 80 seats and the E190/195 with 100 to 120 seats, in tough opposition to its arch-rival Bombardier.

Embraer is developing a new addition to the Embraer E2 range, the E-Jet E2, which is scheduled to go into production in 2018. All you need to do is buy a Rossiya or Angara Airlines of Russia, Cubana de Aviacion or Air Koryo tickets. The giant double-decker aircraft has become an independent iconic sight.

In spite of its large dimensions, the A380 is a very silent and surprisingly agile plane. Designed to transport over 800 people, it is certificated, although the standard layout is designed for 450 to 600 people. This makes the A380 the preferred choise for high-density long-haul flights. By far the biggest carrier of this kind, but to see all the A380 operated lines, visit the Airbus website.

The Superjet, produced in collaboration with the Italian company Alenia and several other overseas aviation and space companies, is a clean-sheet solution aimed at the expanding local jets business for less than 110-seat planes. Whilst most are run by Russians, Aeroflot being the biggest, it is also possible to operate the model in other areas such as Interjet in Mexico, Sky Aviation in Indonesia and soon Cityjet in Western Europe.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner marks an important landmark in the development of aviation and is the first Boeing 787 to make full use of composites. The lightweight design has enabled Boeing to provide carriers with a long-haul jet that is sufficiently effective to directly and cost-effectively link many alternative marketplaces and avoid overloaded hubways.

They can see how many Dreamliner are in the sky at the same moment and which airline they fly with the Boeing Dreamliner Trainer. The A350, introduced in reaction to the Boeing 787's early commercial launch, is a wide-body long-range aircraft with 280 to 400 seating capacity.

As a result, it covers the immediate area under the A380 and is in close contact with Boeing's Triple Seven and Dreamliner series. It has already gone into operation with Qatar Airways, Vietnam Airways, Finnair, TAM and Singapore Airways, and many more carriers will soon be receiving theirs. Bombardier is attempting to enter the mid-size commercial jet segment (between 110 and 160 seats) by competing with Boeing and Airbus, and the CS100 and CS300 are part of this series.