The Best Airplane Movies

Updated June 22, 2020 4.7k votes 560 voters 182.8k views89 items

List RulesVote for your personal favorite Airplanes and airports films, regardless of how popular or successful they were at the box office.

A list of all the best airplanes movies ever made, many of which are streaming on Amazon Prime and Netflix.

This airplanes and airports movie list can be sorted by cast, year, director and more, and you can click on the movie titles for more information about the film. You can even copy this list of plane films to start your own.

What's in your top 10? If Snakes on a Plane or 2001: A Space Odyssey is in there, vote for one of those, or both (or neither!). If you thought any of these were the worst airplane movies known to man, you can always vote them down, as well. If we missed any airplanes and airports movies on this list (we did), please add them yourself, as this is an open list, which means you can add any movies whenever you like (choices are subject to moderation and BETTER BE ABOUT AIRPLANES AND AIRPORTS!). The films on this list cover the most famous airplane and airport movies of all time and are voted on by people who really (really) care about airplane movie lists.

Examples of movies on this list include some of the greatest airplane movies ever made, like Only Angels Have Wings and Left Behind: The Movie and can also include movies about plane crashes.

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Casablanca
Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart
Released: 1942
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on... more
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Airplane!
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Leslie Nielsen
Released: 1980
Directed by: Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical disaster comedy film directed and written by David... more
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Air Force One
Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman
Released: 1997
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Air Force One is a 1997 American political action thriller film written by Andrew W. Marlowe... more
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Top Gun
Tom Cruise, Meg Ryan
Released: 1986
Directed by: Tony Scott
Top Gun is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott, and produced by Don... more
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12 Monkeys
Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis
Released: 1995
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
12 Monkeys, also known as Twelve Monkeys, is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by... more
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Die Hard 2
Bruce Willis, John Leguizamo
Released: 1990
Directed by: Renny Harlin
This film is a 1990 American action film and the second in the series. It was released on July... more
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The Flight of the Phoenix
James Stewart, Richard Attenborough
Released: 1965
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1965 American drama film starring James Stewart, produced and... more
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Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow
Released: 2004
Directed by: Kerry Conran
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American science fiction action adventure film... more
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Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Harrison Ford, Alfred Molina
Released: 1981
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The... more
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Tora! Tora! Tora!
Jason Robards Jr., Martin Balsam
Released: 1970
Directed by: Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
Tora! Tora! Tora! is a 1970 AmericanJapanese film directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an... more
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Cast Away
Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt
Released: 2000
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Cast Away is a 2000 American adventure drama film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and... more
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Sully
Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart
Released: 2016
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Sully (aka Sully: Miracle on the Hudson) is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed... more
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Flight of the Phoenix
Hugh Laurie, Jared Padalecki
Released: 2004
Directed by: John Moore
Flight of the Phoenix is a 2004 survival drama film and a remake of a 1965 film of the same... more

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Memphis Belle
John Lithgow, Sean Astin
Released: 1990
Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones
Memphis Belle is a 1990 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick. The... more
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The Aviator
Kate Beckinsale, Leonardo DiCaprio
Released: 2004
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
The Aviator is a 2004 American biographical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by... more
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Airport
Jacqueline Bissett, Dean Martin
Released: 1970
Directed by: Henry Hathaway, George Seaton
Airport is a 1970 American drama film starring Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin, directed and... more
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Pearl Harbor
Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Garner
Released: 2001
Directed by: Michael Bay
Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American war film with romance and action elements directed by Michael... more
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The High and the Mighty
John Wayne, Robert Stack
Released: 1954
Directed by: William A. Wellman
The High and the Mighty is a 1954 American "disaster" film directed by William A. Wellman and... more
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The Spirit of St. Louis
James Stewart, Murray Hamilton
Released: 1957
Directed by: Billy Wilder
The Spirit of St. Louis is a 1957 biographical film directed by Billy Wilder and starring... more
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2001: A Space Odyssey
Arthur C. Clarke, Leonard Rossiter
Released: 1968
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley... more
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Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Steve Martin, Kevin Bacon
Released: 1987
Directed by: John Hughes
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a 1987 American comedy film written, produced and directed... more
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Con Air
Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich
Released: 1997
Directed by: Simon West
Con Air is a 1997 American action film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry... more
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Midnight Run
Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin
Released: 1988
Directed by: Martin Brest
Midnight Run is a 1988 American action-comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring... more
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The Delta Force
Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin
Released: 1986
Directed by: Menahem Golan
The Delta Force is a 1986 American action film starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as leaders... more
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Airport 1975
Charlton Heston, Myrna Loy
Released: 1974
Directed by: Jack Smight
Airport 1975 is a 1974 disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film Airport.... more
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