Its international terminal serves larger jetliners and far more travelers than were envisioned 32 years ago.

Could a supertall building be designed to repel a direct strike by a large, fuel-laden jetliner flying at high speed and remain unscathed?

Some of the older, larger jetliners are disappearing, too, each being replaced by two small regional jets.

That, they contend, would help keep the larger and noisier jetliners from nearby La Guardia out of the air space over Flushing.

For whatever reason, Robertson took the time to calculate how well his towers would handle the impact from a Boeing 707, the largest jetliner in service at the time.

Certainly, the city's emergency response planners did not foresee the devastation that could be wrought by two large jetliners filled with fuel.

A company specializing in small private aircraft, for instance, would probably not be licensed to work on large jetliners.

To build the giant jet, Boeing had to construct a facility large enough to handle the world's largest commercial jetliner.

One way to accomplish both goals might be to fly a large jetliner into the fortified building that holds the reactor.

The small jets play into this strategy, since they are able to fly longer distances nonstop than turboprop planes, although not as far as larger jetliners.