How to recognize airplanes: Airbus vs. aircraft Boeing aircraft (ep. 1)

I launched AirlinesTravel.ro with a passion for airplanes, aviation and travel. We have been 5 for years on the Internet and have collected tens of thousands of miles flown, and the count continues. We have also developed a passion for aircraft photography, but how can we recognize them more easily?

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The plane, this winged cylinder that comes off the ground with such elegance, attracts glances even if you are not passionate about aviation and flying. Not infrequently, I have noticed how people look up at the sky when they hear aircraft engines or when they see them roaring in the sky.

Many of us are fascinated by how graceful and elegant airplanes can be. But how many times have you wondered which model you look up to in the sky or which model is the plane you fly on? Is it a Boeing or an Airbus? Is it an A320 or a B777 model?

Airbus Vs. Boeing aircraft

I came to easily identify the planes. For those less interested in airplanes, it seems impressive when I tell them the model of the plane just by looking over a photo or following it on the airport runway. Others came to recognize Boeing's Airbus aircraft just after exterior lights. I still have up to this performance!

How do I succeed? After many years of flying and touring the world's airports, I have become accustomed to identifying the model of the plane after a few basic elements. Starting from an article written by Arun Rajagopal and from my own experience, I will present to you the recognition elements of Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

We start with Airbus and Boeing because they are the largest commercial aircraft manufacturers in the world. They have been competing for decades in new technologies and new models.

Looks for the model's name on the aircraft's fuselage

The first and easiest way to recognize the aircraft model is to look for its name written on the fuselage. You can do this very easily on the ground when the planes are parked. The model of the plane is written small in the frontal area of ​​the plane or towards the tail of the plane.

Boeing-737-800
Boeing 737-800
Airbus-A321-200
Airbus A321-200

Beware of aircraft bumps

If the planes are too far away and you cannot identify the name on the fuselage, look for other differentiation elements. Airbus and Boeing are building seemingly similar, yet very different aircraft.

Bot-Airbus
Airbus aircraft carrier
Bot-Boeing
Boeing aircraft

Airbus aircraft have rounder bumps, while Boeing aircraft have sharper bumps. This rule applies to most models in both manufacturers' portfolios.

Follow the cockpit windows

If the first 2 recommendations do not help you identify the manufacturer, we come up with the third trick - the cockpit windows. At Airbus, the side windows of the cockpit are in a straight line, while the windows on Boeing planes are often V-shaped. Also, the side windows of an Airbus cabin have cut corners.

ferestre-cockpit-airbus
Airbus cockpit windows
ferestre-cockpit-boeing
Boeing cockpit windows

A simple observation that can easily contribute to the identification of the manufacturer.

Attention to the tail of the aircraft

The tail of the plane can tell us if it is Airbus or Boeing. Airbus and Boeing aircraft generally have a rotated shape, with the exception of the B777, which is narrowed to the rope.

coada-airbus
Airbus tail with top right line to the end
coada-boeing
Boeing tail with upper line slightly inclined downward to end.

All wide-body Airbus, except 380, have the upper body of the fuselage straight to the end of the plane. At Boeing, the fuselage line goes slightly down, the ends are narrowed and inclined at the top and bottom, while at Airbus the top is straight and the bottom very sharp.

In conclusion: if you see a plane with a more rounded muzzle, cockpit windows with cut corners and a straight upper fuselage line to the end, then that is an Airbus aircraft. If the nose is sharper, the cockpit windows are V-shaped, and the upper fuselage line is slightly lower to the tail, that's a Boeing plane.

These would be the main elements with which you can highlight Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

For episode 2 we have prepared a direct confrontation between the aircraft family Airbus A320 and the aircraft family Boeing 737, both of which are part of the "narrow-body" class, single-aisle aircraft.

If you liked our article, we hope to share it with your friends, fans on social media. If you have any other criteria for highlighting an Airbus from a Boeing, please leave a comment with this information!

5 Comments
  1. Lucian says

    Mr. Sorin, you are doing a wonderful job. I am passionate about aviation and I love these articles very well.

    1. Sorin Rusi says

      Thank you for your appreciation! We are glad if our articles are of great help in developing your passion for aviation

  2. Dragos says

    An addition. After the vertical stabilizer, the Airbus fuselage is long and sharp, while the Boeing stops at a fairly right angle. For those who do not know, the stabilizer is the vertical tail of the plane.

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