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How Fast Do Planes Fly? Airliners vs Private Jets

Airliners cruise at about 515 to 560 mph; the fastest private jets top 600 mph. Cruise, takeoff and landing speeds for every kind of plane, with a chart.

New York → London · 3,445 miles

In the air 6h 08m

  1. ConcordeMach 2, retired 20031,350 mph · M2.00 · 2h 33m
  2. Bombardier Global 8000Mach 0.95 max626 mph · M0.95 · 5h 30m
  3. Airbus A350Cruise Mach 0.85561 mph · M0.85 · 6h 08m
  4. Bombardier Challenger 3500Mach 0.83 max548 mph · M0.83 · 6h 17m
  5. Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen3451 knots519 mph · M0.79 · 6h 38m
  6. Cirrus Vision Jet317 knots365 mph · M0.55 · 9h 26m
  7. Pilatus PC-12 NGX290 knots, turboprop334 mph · M0.51 · 10h 19m

Each aircraft at the top speed in the article's chart (Mach at 573 knots, the speed of sound above about 36,000 ft), in still air, with no climb or descent. Times are a speed comparison, not a flight plan.

BenedictPrivate Aviation ConsultantUpdated October 5, 2026 · Published August 24, 2021 · 4 min read

Speeds compared

Every kind of plane, on one scale

Typical cruise speeds by type, and how fast airliners and business jets fly in each phase of a flight.
Typical cruise speed at altitudePrivate jetsAirlinersProps and turboprops
  1. Small piston planes120–200 mph
  2. Turboprops300–355 mph
  3. Very light jets365–470 mph
  4. Light and midsize jets480–530 mph
  5. Narrow-body airliners515–520 mph
  6. Super-midsize and large jets530–560 mph
  7. Wide-body airliners555–560 mph
  8. Ultra-long-range jets560–595 mph

Miles per hour at cruising altitude, where the speed of sound is about 659 mph (573 knots, NASA). Concorde cruised at about 1,350 mph, off this scale.

From takeoff to touchdown

  1. Takeoff

    Airliner
    150–180 mph
    Private jet
    a little slower

    Business jets lift off a little slower

  2. Below 10,000 ft

    Airliner
    ≤ 290 mph
    Private jet
    ≤ 290 mph

    No faster than 250 knots (14 CFR 91.117)

  3. Cruise

    Airliner
    515–560 mph
    Private jet
    365–595 mph

    Very light to ultra-long-range jets

  4. Landing

    Airliner
    140–170 mph
    Private jet
    120–150 mph

    At touchdown

A commercial airliner cruises at about 515 to 560 mph (Mach 0.78 to 0.85) at cruising altitude. Private jets span a wider range: the smallest cruise at around 400 mph, and the fastest long-range jets at 560 mph or more, with maximum speeds above 600 mph. Small piston planes fly at 120 to 200 mph, and turboprops at 300 to 350 mph.

Those are speeds through the air at altitude. How fast a plane actually crosses the ground depends on the wind, and how fast it goes on a given day depends on the phase of flight.

Cruise speed by aircraft

The chart shows each aircraft's typical long-range cruise (the start of each bar) and its maximum operating speed (the end), or a single maximum cruise speed where that is what the manufacturer publishes.

Chart

How fast planes fly at altitude

  • Private jets
  • Airliners
  • Other aircraft
  1. Bombardier Global 8000Mach 0.85–0.95561–626 mph
  2. Gulfstream G700Mach 0.85–0.935561–617 mph
  3. Bombardier Global 7500Mach 0.85–0.925561–610 mph
  4. Airbus A350Cruise Mach 0.85561 mph
  5. Boeing 777Cruise Mach 0.84554 mph
  6. Cessna Citation Longitude483 knots max cruise556 mph
  7. Bombardier Challenger 3500Mach 0.77–0.83508–548 mph
  8. Airbus A320neoMax Mach 0.82541 mph
  9. Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen3451 knots519 mph
  10. Pilatus PC-24440 knots506 mph
  11. Cessna Citation M2 Gen3404 knots465 mph
  12. Cirrus Vision Jet317 knots365 mph
  13. Pilatus PC-12 NGX (turboprop)290 knots334 mph
True airspeed at altitude, converted to miles per hour. Mach numbers are converted at 573 knots, the speed of sound above about 36,000 feet (NASA). Business jets: manufacturers' published maximum operating Mach, long-range cruise or maximum cruise speed. Airliners: Boeing (777) and Airbus (A350, A320neo) published figures. Concorde, not shown, cruised at twice the speed of sound, about 1,350 mph.
AircraftTypical cruiseIn mph, at altitude
Small piston planes105–175 knots120–200 mph
Turboprops260–310 knots300–355 mph
Very light jets320–410 knots365–470 mph
Light and midsize jets420–460 knots480–530 mph
Narrow-body airliners (737, A320)Mach 0.78–0.79515–520 mph
Wide-body airliners (777, 787, A350)Mach 0.84–0.85555–560 mph
Super-midsize and large jetsMach 0.80–0.85530–560 mph
Ultra-long-range jetsMach 0.85–0.90560–595 mph

Typical figures for each class; the chart and its sources give the published figures for specific models. Every model's cruise speed is also on its ownership-cost page.

How fast do commercial planes fly?

Airliners cruise just below the speed of sound, where they are most economical. Boeing gives the 777's cruise speed as Mach 0.84; Airbus gives the A350's as Mach 0.85, and the A320neo's maximum operating speed as Mach 0.82. At cruising altitude, where the speed of sound is about 660 mph, Mach 0.85 is about 560 mph.

Narrow-body jets like the 737 and A320 usually cruise a little slower, around Mach 0.78, on the shorter routes they fly. Airlines also slow down to save fuel when the schedule allows, and speed up to recover a delay.

The exception was Concorde, which cruised at twice the speed of sound, about 1,350 mph, between 55,000 and 60,000 feet. It retired in 2003, and no supersonic airliner has flown passengers since.

How fast do private jets fly?

Business jets cover a wider range than airliners because they range from four-seat single-engine jets to airliner-sized cabins:

  • The fastest: the Bombardier Global 8000 (Mach 0.95 maximum) and the Gulfstream G700 and G800 (Mach 0.935) are faster than any airliner in service. They usually cruise at Mach 0.85 to 0.90 to stretch their range. The fastest private jets ranks them.
  • Super-midsize and large jets such as the Challenger 3500 and Citation Longitude cruise at about 500 to 560 mph, close to airliner speeds.
  • Light jets such as the Citation CJ4 and Phenom 300 cruise at about 480 to 535 mph.
  • Very light jets such as the Citation M2 and Cirrus Vision Jet cruise at 365 to 470 mph.

On most domestic trips the difference in cruise speed matters less than you might think: a light jet and a large jet differ by perhaps 10 to 20 minutes on a two-hour flight. What a private jet saves is the time on the ground, from security to boarding, and the use of airports closer to where you are going. Do private jets fly faster than commercial? works through the comparison.

Speed in each phase of flight

  • Takeoff: a loaded airliner typically lifts off at around 150 to 180 mph, business jets a little slower, and small piston planes at 60 to 80 mph. The exact speed depends on weight, flap setting, runway and temperature.
  • Climb and descent: in U.S. airspace, aircraft must fly no faster than 250 knots (about 290 mph) below 10,000 feet unless air traffic control authorizes otherwise (14 CFR 91.117).
  • Cruise: the figures in the chart above.
  • Landing: airliners usually touch down at around 140 to 170 mph and business jets at around 120 to 150 mph.

Airspeed, ground speed and Mach

Airspeed is how fast the aircraft moves through the air; ground speed is how fast it moves over the ground. A tailwind adds to ground speed, so an eastbound flight across the Atlantic in a strong jet stream can show a ground speed above 700 mph while flying at its normal airspeed. Westbound, the same headwind slows it down, which is why flights from Europe to the U.S. take longer.

Mach is speed as a fraction of the speed of sound, which falls as the air gets colder with altitude: about 760 mph at sea level and about 660 mph above roughly 36,000 feet. That is why jets measure cruise speed in Mach, and why the same Mach number means a slightly different mph at different altitudes.

Why planes don't fly faster

As an airliner nears the speed of sound, shock waves form over the wing and drag rises steeply, so each extra mile per hour costs disproportionately more fuel. Most jets cruise at the speed that balances fuel against time, typically Mach 0.80 to 0.85. Business jets built for speed, such as the G700 or Global 8000, use thinner, more swept wings to push that limit higher, and owners pay for it in fuel when they fly at the top speed.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How fast do planes fly?

A commercial airliner cruises at about Mach 0.78 to 0.85, roughly 515 to 560 mph through the air at cruising altitude; with a tailwind its speed over the ground can be much higher. Private jets cruise from about 400 mph for the smallest to more than 600 mph for the fastest, and small piston planes at 120 to 200 mph.

How fast does a commercial plane fly?

Boeing gives the 777's cruise speed as Mach 0.84 and Airbus the A350's as Mach 0.85, about 555 to 560 mph at cruising altitude. Narrow-body airliners such as the 737 and A320 cruise a little slower; the A320neo's maximum operating speed is Mach 0.82.

How fast can a jet go?

The fastest business jet in service, the Bombardier Global 8000, has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.95, about 625 mph at altitude. The Gulfstream G700 and G800 reach Mach 0.935. Concorde, the only supersonic airliner to see long service, cruised at twice the speed of sound, about 1,350 mph.

How fast does a plane go when it takes off?

A loaded airliner typically lifts off at around 150 to 180 mph, depending on its weight, flap setting and the runway. Business jets lift off a little slower, and small piston planes at well under 100 mph.

Why don't planes fly faster?

Drag rises sharply as an airliner approaches the speed of sound, so flying faster burns much more fuel per mile. Airlines and most business jet operators cruise at the speed that balances fuel cost and time, usually around Mach 0.80 to 0.85.

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