In
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...
, fleet commonality is the economic and logistic benefits of operating a standardized
fleet of
aircraft
An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
that share common parts, training requirements, or other characteristics.
Different types of commonality

Commonality policies may be defined in a variety of ways, depending on the operator:
* for civilian aircraft:
** By model, same generation (e.g. Boeing "Next Generation"
737-700,
737-800, and
737-900)
** By model, different generations (e.g. Boeing's "Next Generation"
737-700 and
737 MAX-7)
** By family (e.g. Boeing 737)
** Between families (e.g. deck, between Boeing
767-400ER,
777 and
737 NG)
** By manufacturer (e.g.
Boeing
The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
)
** By engine (e.g.
Rolls-Royce RB211
The Rolls-Royce RB211 is a British family of high-bypass turbofan engines made by Rolls-Royce Holdings, Rolls-Royce. The engines are capable of generating of thrust. The RB211 engine was the first production turbofan#Three-spool, three-spool e ...
)
** Any combination of the above
* for military aircraft, the same can be said:
** By model, same generation
** By model, different generations (e.g. General Dynamics
F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...
A/B,
multirole F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...
C/D)
** By family (e.g. General Dynamics
F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...
)
*Commonality can also be seen in engines :
** By family, same generation (e.g. RR
Trent, GE
T700)
** By family, different generations (e.g.
CFM 56-2, -3, -5, -7 )
** Between aircraft (
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...
's
F100 with the F-15 and F-16 fleet
General Electric, Pratt & Whitney Battle To Supply F-15K Engines
/ref>)
Examples for civilian aircraft
Airbus and Boeing have commonality in their products within and across families.
Airbus A330 and A340 families
The A330 and A340 share many common features. The same cockpit is shared between the A330 and A340, however the A340 controls four engines instead of two on the A330. The A330 and A340 share the same wings, nose, tail and horizontal stabilizers. The A340 features an extra bogie of landing gears under the belly to support extra weight.
The A330-300 and A340-300 share the same fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
and wings, however with the A340-300 featuring an extra bogie of landing gears under the belly, and powered by four engines instead of two.
Boeing 757 and 767 families
The 767-400ER shares common features with the 757/767 family of airplanes, including a common pilot type rating between the 757 and 767. This allows any pilot trained to fly one model to be qualified to fly the other model with minimal additional instruction. Compatibility with the 757/767 family means that operators can gain better access to the demanding medium-size market (200-300 seats) by matching the appropriate airplane to variable requirements. They can also improve operating efficiency through lower training requirements, greater flexibility in assigning flight crews, and reduced spares inventories.[Boein]
767 Family
/ref>
Boeing 767-400ER, 777 and 737NG
The new 767-400ER flight deck makes the airplane easier to maintain and provides flexibility for operators to tailor the flight-deck equipment to their training needs. A new instrument panel and avionics
Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...
package consolidate 67 different flight deck parts to 20, simplifying 767 maintenance and improving flight crew efficiency.
On the instrument panel, the most notable change on the 767-400ER is the use of six large liquid-crystal displays in the same arrangement as the Boeing 777 and Next-Generation 737 flight decks. Pilots of these models receive similar information in a similar format. This significantly reduces training requirements to transition pilots of these other Boeing models to the 767-400ER.
Notes and references
{{Portal bar, Aviation, Business, Economics, Technology
Civil aviation
Aircraft maintenance