How Fast Do Commercial Planes Fly?
Cruise Mach 0.78–0.85 · ≈850–950 km/h · Updated May 2026
Typical cruise speed for a modern commercial jet is Mach 0.78–0.85 — about 460–500 knots true airspeed, or 850–950 km/h (530–590 mph). Narrowbody jets like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 sit at the lower end (about Mach 0.78–0.80). Widebody twins such as the Boeing 777, 787, and Airbus A350 cruise higher (Mach 0.84–0.85). The Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 typically cruise around Mach 0.85. Few aircraft go faster, and none of the modern airliners cross Mach 1 — the reasons are fuel economics and transonic drag, not technical inability.
What "Mach 0.85" actually means
Mach number is the aircraft's speed divided by the speed of sound in the surrounding air. The speed of sound depends on temperature, so the same Mach number translates to slightly different true airspeeds at different altitudes.
At a typical cruise altitude of 35,000 ft, with an ambient temperature near −55 °C, the speed of sound is about 295 m/s ≈ 573 knots ≈ 1,062 km/h. So:
- →Mach 0.78 ≈ 447 knots ≈ 828 km/h ≈ 515 mph
- →Mach 0.80 ≈ 458 knots ≈ 849 km/h ≈ 528 mph
- →Mach 0.85 ≈ 487 knots ≈ 902 km/h ≈ 561 mph
Ground speed (what a flight tracker shows) is true airspeed plus or minus the wind. With a strong tailwind in the jet stream, ground speeds of 600–700 knots (1,100–1,300 km/h) are common on eastbound transatlantic and transpacific flights.
Cruise speeds by aircraft type
Typical cruise around Mach 0.78–0.79, or about 453–460 knots / 840–850 km/h. The 737 MAX has a slightly higher long-range cruise. Maximum operating Mach (MMO) is Mach 0.82.
Typical cruise Mach 0.78, with long-range cruise around Mach 0.80. About 450–460 knots / 830–850 km/h. MMO Mach 0.82.
Typical cruise Mach 0.85, about 488 knots / 903 km/h. MMO Mach 0.90.
Typical cruise Mach 0.84, about 482 knots / 893 km/h. One of the highest typical cruise speeds in widespread service.
Typical cruise Mach 0.85, about 488 knots / 903 km/h. MMO Mach 0.89.
Both the A380 and the 747 cruise around Mach 0.85, about 488 knots / 903 km/h. Despite their size, they're among the faster cruisers in commercial service.
Regional jets (Embraer E-Jets, CRJ): Mach 0.74–0.78. Turboprops (ATR 72, Dash 8): around 250–300 knots / 460–550 km/h — they cruise lower and rely on propeller efficiency rather than high Mach numbers.
Why aren't airliners faster?
Technically, airliners could be designed to cruise faster. But three constraints push cruise speed to the high-subsonic band:
As the aircraft approaches Mach 1, local airflow over the wing reaches supersonic speed and forms shock waves. Drag climbs sharply (the "drag divergence" region). Fuel burn rises faster than time saved.
Airline operating cost per seat-mile is dominated by fuel. Cruising 5% faster typically costs 15–20% more fuel. Saving 20 minutes on a 9-hour flight is not worth a 15% fuel premium.
Faster-than-sound flight produces a continuous sonic boom along the ground track. Overland supersonic civilian flight is restricted in most jurisdictions. Concorde was the last commercial supersonic airliner; it retired in 2003. Several startups are working on low-boom successors, but they remain on the horizon.
Climb, descent, and ground operations
- →Climb-out: typically 250 knots indicated below 10,000 ft (an ATC speed limit in most countries), then a constant 280–320 knots up to about 30,000 ft.
- →Cruise: Mach 0.78–0.85 as above.
- →Descent: Mach number transitioning back to indicated airspeed; 250 knots again below 10,000 ft.
- →Approach: roughly 140–170 knots final approach, depending on type and weight.
- →Taxi: typically 15–25 knots ground speed.
Why your flight tracker sometimes shows 1,200 km/h
Flight trackers show ground speed, not true airspeed. A 777 cruising at Mach 0.84 through a 150-knot tailwind in the jet stream is moving over the ground at about 632 knots — roughly 1,170 km/h or 727 mph. The aircraft hasn't broken any speed record; it's just being carried by the air mass underneath it. The opposite happens westbound — a strong headwind can drop ground speed below 400 knots (740 km/h).
Sources
- • Boeing and Airbus published aircraft characteristics / Airport Planning documents for each type.
- • International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) — Annex 2 (Rules of the Air) on speed limits in controlled airspace.
- • Federal Aviation Administration — 14 CFR 91.117 (aircraft speed restrictions).
- • Statista — Cruise speeds of major airliner families.