Four-engined jet aircraft
A four-engined jet, sometimes called a quadjet, is a jet aircraft powered by four engines. The presence of four engines offers increased power, allowing such aircraft to be used as airliners, freighters, and military aircraft. Many of the first purpose-built jet airliners had four engines, among which stands the De Havilland Comet, the world's first commercial jetliner. In the decades following their introduction, their use has gradually declined due to a variety of factors, including the approval of twin-engine jets to fly farther from diversion airports as reliability increased, and an increased emphasis on fuel efficiency.
The de Havilland Comet, the first commercial jetliner, used four jet engines.
Podded engines mounted under the wings of a Boeing 747-8I.
Rear view of a Vickers VC10, showing its four podded engines mounted on the rear fuselage
Intakes leading into the buried engines of a de Havilland Comet 4
A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines. Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly classified as either the large wide-body aircraft, medium narrow-body aircraft and smaller regional jet.
The Boeing 737 was for many years the most widespread jetliner
The de Havilland Comet, the first purpose-built jet airliner
The Boeing 707, the first commercially successful jetliner
The Tupolev Tu-144, the first supersonic jet airliner