
A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an
airliner
An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...
arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast
seating
Seating may refer to:
General plans:
* Seating plan
In theaters or stadiums:
* Bleacher seating
* Chanin's seating plan
* Club seating
* Continental seating
* Festival seating
* General seating
* Home theater seating
* Movable seating
* Reserve ...
in a
cabin
Cabin may refer to:
Buildings
* Beach cabin, a small wooden hut on a beach
* Log cabin, a house built from logs
* Cottage, a small house
* Chalet, a wooden mountain house with a sloping roof
* Cabin, small free-standing structures that serve as in ...
less than in width.
In contrast, a
wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with multiple
aisles and a
fuselage diameter of more than , allowing at least seven-abreast seating and often more
travel classes.
Market

Historically, beginning in the late 1960s and continuing through the 1990s, twin engine narrow-body aircraft, such as the
Boeing 737 Classic,
McDonnell-Douglas MD-80
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gener ...
and
Airbus A320 were primarily employed in short to medium-haul markets requiring neither the range nor the passenger-carrying capacity of that period's wide-body aircraft.
The re-engined
B737 MAX
The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737, a narrow-body airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), a division of American company Boeing. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) and competes with t ...
and
A320neo
The Airbus A320neo family is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus.
The A320neo family (''neo'' for "new engine option") is based on the previous A319, A320 and A321 ( enhanced variant), which was then ren ...
jets offer 500 miles more range, allowing them to operate the 3,000 miles
transatlantic flights between the eastern U.S. and Western Europe, previously dominated by wide-body aircraft.
Norwegian Air Shuttle,
JetBlue Airways and
TAP Portugal will open up direct routes bypassing
airline hubs for lower fares between cheaper, smaller airports.
The
B737NG
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by Twinjet, two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of th ...
3,300-mile range is insufficient for fully laden operations and operates at reduced capacity like the
A318, while the
Airbus A321LR
The Airbus A320neo family is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus.
The A320neo family (''neo'' for "new engine option") is based on the previous A319, A320 and A321 ( enhanced variant), which was then ren ...
could replace the less
fuel efficient B757
The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978.
The prototype completed its maid ...
s used since their production ended in 2004.
Boeing will face competition and pricing pressure from the
Embraer E-Jet E2 family
The Embraer E-Jet E2 family are medium-range jet airliners developed by Embraer, succeeding the original E-Jet. The program was launched at the Paris Air Show in 2013. The first variant, the E190-E2, took its first flight on 23 May 2016 and wa ...
,
Airbus A220 (formerly Bombardier CSeries) and
Comac C919
The Comac C919 is a narrow-body airliner developed by Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac.
The development program was launched in 2008. Production of the prototype began in December 2011, with the first prototype being ready on 2 November 201 ...
.
Between 2016 and 2035,
Flightglobal expects 26,860 single-aisles to be delivered for almost $ billion, 45% Airbus A320 family ceo and neo and 43%
Boeing 737 NG
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boeing ...
and max.
By June 2018, there was 10,572 Airbus A320neo and
Boeing 737 MAX orders: 6,068 Airbuses (%, 2,295 with CFMs, 1,623 with PWs and 2,150 with not yet decided engines) and 4,504 Boeings (%); 3,446 in Asia-Pacific (%), 2,349 in Europe (%), 1,926 in North America (%), 912 in Latin America (%), 654 in Middle East (%), 72 in Africa (%) and 1,213 not yet bounded (%).
Many airlines have shown interest in the A321LR or its
A321XLR
The Airbus A320neo family is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus.
The A320neo family (''neo'' for "new engine option") is based on the previous A319, A320 and A321 ( enhanced variant), which was then ren ...
derivative, and other extended-range models, for thin
transatlantic and
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...
routes.
Examples
Six-abreast cabin
Five-abreast cabin
Four-abreast cabin
Three-abreast cabin
Two-abreast cabin
Image gallery
File:Air New Zealand Beech 1900D cabin.jpg, Two-abreast Beech 1900
The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With c ...
File:Scandinavian Commuter Dash 8 Q400 interior.jpg, Four-abreast Dash 8
File:AirAsia interior.jpg, Six-abreast Airbus A320
See also
*
List of regional airliners
*
Regional jet
*
Wide-body aircraft
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Narrow-Body Aircraft
Aircraft configurations
Airliners