Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Aviation glossary

Aircraft family

Also: airliner family, family of aircraft

The aircraft

Group of models from one manufacturer that share a basic design, flight deck and systems while differing in size, capacity or range.

What it is

A family lets a manufacturer cover several market segments from a common base. The Airbus A320 family, for instance, comprises the A318, A319, A320 and A321, which differ mainly in fuselage length and capacity but share a very similar wing, the systems and the flight deck.

For airlines the payoff is considerable: pilots can fly several family members on a single type rating, engineers follow common procedures and many spare parts are interchangeable. Airbus has extended the idea to commonality between different families, so pilots can move from an A320 to an A330 or A350 with reduced training.

On Vuelopedia

A model page on Vuelopedia sets out its history, specifications, variants and fleet.

Airbus A318 Airbus A320 Airbus A321

Related terms

VariantVersion of an aircraft model that keeps the basic design but changes features such as length, engines, range or intended role. Type certificateDocument in which an aviation authority declares that the design of an aircraft, engine or propeller model meets the applicable airworthiness requirements. Flight deckForward compartment from which the pilots fly the aircraft and manage its systems, navigation and communications. Fly-by-wireFlight control system in which the pilot's inputs travel as electrical signals to computers that move the control surfaces.
Whole glossary

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Aircraft family. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/aircraft-family

MLA

“Aircraft family.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/aircraft-family. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Aircraft family.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/aircraft-family.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Aircraft family. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/aircraft-family (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_aircraft_family,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Aircraft family}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/aircraft-family},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/aircraft-family}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/aircraft-family |title=Aircraft family |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

Explore the encyclopedia

Homethe record of every aircraftAirlinesdocumented fleetsModelsfrom the Airbus A220 to the Boeing 747Compareup to three aircraft, side by sideManufacturerswho builds the aircraft, and their enginesIVCA Rankingair quality, from 0 to 100Newsthe latest from the recordsOn this dayaviation, day by dayVideosone aviation story a day, on videoAirportsthe world's leading onesAccidentswhat every accident changedTimelinethe whole century, 1903 to todayPeoplewho made all of this possibleOn Screenwhen the airliner was the plotTriviaa daily aviation challengeMemoriesa name in an aircraft's historyPresspress releases and Vuelopedia in the mediaYour profilesign in or create your accountAboutwhat Vuelopedia is and who makes it