Why Airlines Choose Certain Aircraft For Routes

Airlines’task of opting for whichever aircraft should fly their various routes is no simple feat. Where balancing supply and demand is key, so is taking into account the likes of the route distance, limitations of either the original or destination airport, issues around connectivity with other flights, aircraft availability, and, of course, profitability.

For example, Ryanair often flies in from London to Dublin in excess of seven times a day. Given its large fleet of Boeing 737s each carry in the region of 189 to 197 passengers, a fair question might be: Why does the airline not just opt for fewer, larger planes to cover the route? However, we all know it is not as simple as all that, and Ryanair’s case is one of attempting to offer passengers tickets at the lowest fare possible, so operating a standardized fleet of versatile aircraft where costs can be kept to a minimum is key.

Demand & The Airline Model

Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS taking off EI-EXE

In the instance of Ryanair, capturing travelers who are willing to fly at all times of the day for the lowest price they can find is vital. That is where the demand is for the Irish carrier, and it is easier to add or remove smaller jets for its shorter journeys to fill this. But demand is a loose term and one that airlines have to constantly consider. Emirates, say, is by no means looking to encroach on the market Ryanair looks to target, instead moving large numbers of, often premium-seeking, passengers at once over greater distances.

Ryanair and Emirates operate models at each end of the spectrum. Frequency and cutting costs are the game for Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger volume. At the other end, running high-capacity, long-haul routes to serve a hub-and-spoke model is where Emirates thrives. Indeed, the proportion of passengers that disembark at Dubai compared to those that fly onward is finely balanced, having teetered around half-and-half in recent years, so getting as many passengers to the hub at a time is key for Emirates.

As such, each operates very different aircraft that best serve their needs. Where the Boeing 737 is perfect for the purpose of shorter city hops, to often secondary airports in Ryanair’s case, Emirates’ use of mainly Boeing 777s and Airbus A380ss is down to their high capacities and strong performance on long-haul flights.

Range & Distance

On the surface, it does largely boil down to picking a widebody aircraft for long-haul routes or a narrowbody to make a shorter journey. Generally, long-haul means a journey between six and 12 hours, covering upwards of 3,000 miles. Again, this is a loose definition, but it can offer a guide as to whether your flight will likely be on a larger or smaller aircraft.

Which particular aircraft falling into each category should be picked then relies on the likes of optimum ranges for fuel burn, alongside factors such as capacity and the type of model said airline operates. For instance, both the 737 and A320 thrive on short to medium-length routes, whereas the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 do well for higher-capacity over longer distances.

Performance of popular aircraft types:

Aircraft	Range	Cruise speed	Cruise altitude	Capacity	Best use case
Boeing 737	5,500–6,500 km / 3,400–4,000 mi	~840 km/h / ~520 mph	35,000–41,000 ft / 10,700–12,500 m	130–190	Short–medium haul
Airbus A320	6,000–6,500 km / 3,700–4,000 mi	~830 km/h / ~515 mph	35,000–39,000 ft / 10,700–11,900 m	140–180	Short–medium haul
Boeing 787 Dreamliner	13,500–14,800 km / 8,400–9,200 mi	~900 km/h / ~560 mph	40,000–43,000 ft / 12,200–13,100 m	240–330	Long-haul efficient
Airbus A350	15,000–17,000 km / 9,300–10,600 mi	~900 km/h / ~560 mph	41,000–43,000 ft / 12,500–13,100 m	300–410	Ultra long-haul
Boeing 777	13,000–15,800 km / 8,100–9,800 mi	~905 km/h / ~562 mph	35,000–43,000 ft / 10,700–13,100 m	300–400+	High-demand long-haul
Airbus A380	~15,000 km / ~9,300 mi	~900 km/h / ~560 mph	43,000 ft / ~13,100 m	450–600+	Hub-to-hub, very high capacity

Examples listed above represent a handful of popular aircraft in use today. Note, the jump in range from the 737 and A320 to the 787 and A350 is not small. Historically, the likes of the 757 did well to plug this awkward middle ground, but having been introduced way back in the early eighties, fewer and fewer of the models are flying today. Airbus’ solution is its A321XLR, with a range of around roughly 5,400 miles and standard capacity of 180 to 220 passengers. Just 26 had been built as of late last year, however, leaving the aircraft largely out of the question for schedules for the time being.

How Do Airlines Decide The Appropriate Aircraft For Each Route?

A closer look at how airlines decide to place which aircraft on their routes.

Airport Limitations

Limitations of airports themselves make up another huge factor for airlines to consider. Questions around whether a runway is long enough, if an airport offers passenger loading bridges, if it houses means for maintenance, and even refueling capabilities, are just a few that need to be asked by airlines. For the 737 alone, Boeing provides details for airport planning in a hefty 570-page document. Needless to say, picking which aircraft will land at which airport takes a lot of thought.

In the case of Ryanair, variants of the 737 are used thanks to their versatility. This allows operations to cover short to medium ranges between a variety of airports with sea level runways of less than 6,000 feet (1,830 meters), according to Boeing. For context, the Airbus A380 needs around 9,850 feet (3,000 meters) of runway to take off at maximum weight. Regarding the latter, Airbus lays out details for airport planning in a 311-page guide.

Realistically, restrictions can be found at any airport around the world. Take London’s major hubs of Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted, where nighttime restrictions place strict quotas on noise and flight numbers. A key measure highlighted in a 2023 government consultation placed the onus on airlines to operate quieter models, which luckily are becoming increasingly available with newer aircraft. All this goes to say, factors can really vary for airlines when deciding on aircraft, and fines for both British Airways and Qantas for noise infringements at Heathrow last year show just how vital planning can be.

Frequency & Connectivity

Emirates A380 Parked In Dubai In Low Light

Connectivity might be less about the aircraft type and more so a factor to consider when scheduling. That said, the type of aircraft used does play a part. Indeed, if you have an A380 connecting through Dubai, you do not want to run the risk of a connecting service utilizing an aircraft that cannot accommodate enough of the potentially 600-plus passengers from the original flight. What good is it only being able to offer to get passengers halfway along their journey?

As Gavin Eccles, professor of aviation at Universidade Lusófona, has explained previously: “If the flight is scheduled at a time when there is no possibility of connection to other cities, then the airline might not do as well as a flight that is timed for inbound and outbound connections.”

Accounting for connecting flights and planning in regard to capacities, frequency of other flights, and so on is pivotal then, especially for long-haul carriers. Most who have had to make a connection will tell you the time between landing and then departing again is vital when picking a flight, whether it be too short and so leaves a risk of missing the later flight, or so long that the prospect of hours on end at the connecting airport is just too awful to bear. On the side of airlines, planning rests on their ability to find enough of the right type of aircraft.

What Airplane Needs The Longest Runways?

Runways impact an aircraft performance when looking to take off and land.

Aircraft Availability

As touched on with the A321XLR above, aircraft availability can leave airlines eyeing a solution for specific routes that is just out of reach. It is no secret that delivery schedules of new aircraft from manufacturers have been plagued with delays in recent years.

All told, this has increasingly pushed airlines to fill gaps in route planning with aircraft that would otherwise have been placed elsewhere, or even stretch the lifespan of older models due for retirement. Just look at Lufthansa, its title as one of the last major operators of the 747 in many ways has been forced upon the airline. Given its older 747-400s are partly set to go with the arrival of Boeing’s new 777X, a seven-year delay in getting it approved has left Lufthansa having to be flexible.

One example of this was the temporary deployment of four Airbus A350s to Frankfurt last summer. Chief executive Jens Ritter openly attributed the move to “closing a gap caused by delayed aircraft deliveries”. The A350’s were slated for routes to Seoul, Shanghai, Denver, and Seattle at the time and where Lufthansa might have chosen an alternative, aircraft availability appeared to force its hand.

Profitability At Heart Of It

At the end of the day, all flights are planned with profitability in mind. How this is achieved is down to an almost endless array of factors and those listed above, while important, could be obsolete when something as menial as airport slot prices are considered. Themselves often in the tens of millions of dollars, how much an airline has to pay just to land might make it unviable to do so if the right aircraft is not on hand.

Like airlines, airports strive for profitability, and getting passengers through the door is a necessity. Which aircraft are coming and going obviously play a huge part in this, and, as Eccles adds, “it all comes down to a team of network analysts crunching all sorts of numbers to figure out which routes are not only in demand, but also profitable”.

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