'airliner' originates from the combination of 'air' and 'liner', where 'air' refers to the atmosphere and 'liner' refers to a large ship or aircraft designed for long-distance travel.

'airliner' evolved from the term 'air line', which was used to describe the route taken by aircraft, and eventually became the modern English word 'airliner'.

Initially, it referred to any aircraft used for commercial passenger transport, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.