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Aviation glossary

MTOW

Maximum Take-Off Weight · Also: maximum take-off weight, maximum takeoff weight, MTOM

Weights and performance

Maximum weight at which an aircraft is certified to begin its take-off, including structure, crew, passengers, cargo and fuel.

What it is

MTOW is a structural and certification limit: the aircraft may not begin a take-off above it under any circumstances. It is set by the manufacturer according to the strength of the wing, landing gear and structure, and approved by the authority that certifies the type. Regulations often speak of mass (MTOM), although the figure is still given in kilograms or tonnes.

A single model may be offered with several MTOW options depending on its reinforcements and landing gear, and airlines sometimes pay for higher ones to gain range. Landing and air navigation charges are often based on it. On any given flight the actual take-off weight may be lower, limited by runway length, temperature, airport elevation or the maximum landing weight at the destination.

As a guide, the Airbus A320neo is around 79 tonnes, the Boeing 777-300ER over 350 tonnes and the Airbus A380 about 575 tonnes.

On Vuelopedia

The technical data on a Vuelopedia model page includes its maximum take-off weight.

Airbus A320 Boeing 777 Airbus A380

Related terms

OEWWeight of an aircraft ready for service, with crew, equipment and the necessary fluids, but without passengers, cargo or usable fuel. MZFWMaximum permitted weight of an aircraft with all its payload, crew and passengers on board, excluding the usable fuel in its tanks. MLWMaximum weight at which an aircraft is certified to land, determined mainly by the strength of the landing gear and the airframe. PayloadWeight of everything that earns revenue on a flight, namely passengers and their baggage, cargo and mail, excluding the aircraft, crew and fuel. Take-off distanceDistance an aircraft needs from the start of its take-off run until it reaches a reference height above the runway, normally 35 feet for transport aircraft.
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). MTOW. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/mtow

MLA

“MTOW.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/mtow. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “MTOW.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/mtow.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) MTOW. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/mtow (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

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

Wikipedia

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

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