Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Aviation glossary

Wing area

Also: reference wing area, gross wing area

Weights and performance

Plan-view area of an aircraft's wings, usually including the portion that passes through the fuselage, used as the reference for lift calculations.

What it is

The lift a wing produces is proportional to its area, to air density, to the square of the speed and to a coefficient that depends on the aerofoil and the angle of attack. All else being equal, a larger wing lets an aircraft fly more slowly or carry more weight, which is crucial for taking off and landing on runways of reasonable length.

Flaps and slats raise the lift coefficient, and flaps that move rearwards as they extend, such as Fowler flaps, also increase the effective area. The official figure quoted by manufacturers is for the clean wing, with nothing deployed, and it serves as the reference for all calculations.

For reference, the Airbus A320 has a wing area of about 122 square metres and the Airbus A380 about 845.

On Vuelopedia

Airbus A320 Airbus A380

Related terms

Wing loadingRatio of an aircraft's weight to the area of its wings, usually expressed in kilograms per square metre; it shapes take-off, landing and ride quality. WingspanDistance between the outer tips of an aircraft's wings, measured from tip to tip and including winglets or other wingtip devices. WingSurface that generates the lift needed for flight; on airliners it usually also holds much of the fuel and carries the engines. FlapMovable surface on the trailing edge of the wing that extends to increase lift at low speed during take-off and landing. SlatMovable leading-edge surface that moves forward to open a slot, letting the wing reach a higher angle of attack before it stalls.
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). Wing area. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/wing-area

MLA

“Wing area.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/wing-area. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Wing area.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/wing-area.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Wing area. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/wing-area (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

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

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/wing-area |title=Wing area |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