Wikipedia

Largest airlines in the world

The largest airlines in the world can be measured in several ways. As of 2024, United Airlines was the largest in terms of available seat miles (ASM),[1] revenue seat miles (RPM),[2] mainline fleet size,[3] the number of both mainline employees[4] and destinations served;[5] Delta Air Lines was the most valuable by revenue, assets, market capitalization, and brand value;[6] American Airlines Group carries the most passengers and has the most employees when American Eagle is included; FedEx Express carries the most freight in tonne-kilometers; Southwest Airlines has the greatest number of routes; and Turkish Airlines serves the most countries.[7]

Financials

edit
 
Delta Air Lines ranks first by revenue, total assets, market capitalization and brand value.
 
United Airlines ranks first in ASM, RPM, fleet size and number of both destinations and employees.
 
American Airlines Group ranks first by number of passengers carried.
2024 Rank Airline Group Country Revenue Net Income Assets Market
Cap 		Employees
(US$ billions)
1   Delta Air Lines   United States 61.6 3.5 75.3 39 103,000[8]
2   United Airlines Holdings   United States 57.1 3.1 74.1 32 107,300[9]
3   American Airlines Group   United States 54.2 1.3 68.8 11 133,300[10]
4   Lufthansa Group   Germany 40.4 1.5 51.1 9 98,739
5   Air France–KLM   France/  Netherlands 36.2 0.69 37.5 2.4 76,566[11]
6   International Airlines Group   Spain/  United Kingdom 34.2 2.9 41.6 21 71,794
7   Southwest Airlines   United States 27.5 0.47 33.8 17 72,450[12]
8   China Southern Airlines   China 24.5 –0.59 43.7 13 97,899
9   Air China   China 23.0 1.6 22.0 17 87,190
10   Turkish Airlines   Turkey 22.5 6.8 35.6 12 57,991

Note that Emirates is a state-owned company, and is thus not included in this list of public companies. Its 2024 revenue was estimated to be around $37.4B or 5th place. Qatar Airways Group is similarly privately held with its 2024 revenue of around $22.2B or 10th place (with Emirates included).

Brand value[13]

edit
2024 Rank Airline Country $bn Year-to-year
change
1   Delta Air Lines   United States 10.771 +20.7%
2   American Airlines   United States 10.242 +20.7%
3   United Airlines   United States 8.676 +11.5%
4   Emirates   United Arab Emirates 6.610 +29.5%
5   Southwest Airlines   United States 5.394 +14.7%
6   British Airways   United Kingdom 3.175 +45.2%
7   Qatar Airways   Qatar 3.138 +27.0%
8   Air Canada   Canada 2.805 +8.6%
9   China Southern Airlines   China 2.767 −14.3%
10   Ryanair   Ireland 2.541 +7.1%

Capacity

edit

Available Seat Miles (ASM in billions)[14]

edit
Rank Airline Country 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Ref
1 United Airlines   United States 311 291 248 179 123 285 [15]
2 American Airlines   United States 293 278 260 215 143 285 [16]
3 Delta Air Lines   United States 288 272 233 194 134 275 [17]
4 Emirates   United Arab Emirates 222 230 177 99 40 228 [18]
5 Southwest Airlines   United States 178 170 148 132 103 157 [19]
6 Qatar Airways   Qatar 159 157 131 100 58 149 [20]
7 Ryanair   Ireland 159 152 138 91 30 118 [21]
8 China Southern Airlines   China 151 197 96 133 134 214 [22]
9 Turkish Airlines   Turkey 145 146 124 80 47 117 [23]
10 China Eastern Airlines   China 138 114 60 100 95 168 [24]

Airline Groups - Available Seat Kilometers (ASK in billions)

edit
Rank Airline Group Country 2022 2021 2020 2019
1 American Airlines Group   United States 347 259 147 388
2 United Airlines Holdings   United States 332 207 118 385
3 Delta Air Lines Group   United States 314 216 118 382
4 Air France–KLM   France/  Netherlands 237 116 81 275
5 Emirates   United Arab Emirates 225 93
#11		 78 298
6 International Airlines Group   UK/  Spain 215 78
#15		 72 285
7 Lufthansa Group   Germany 207 89
#13		 69 296
8 Southwest Airlines   United States 199 166 87 211
#11
9 Turkish Airlines   Turkey 162 86
#14		 153
#15
10 Qatar Airways   Qatar 154 172
#13
Sources [25] [26][27] [28] [29]

Airline Groups - Passengers (millions)

edit
Rank Airline Group Country 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
1 American Airlines Group   United States 211 199 124 95 215 203
2 Delta Air Lines   United States 190 175 123 80 204 192
3 Ryanair   Ireland 182 168 97 52 148 142
4 United Airlines Holdings   United States 165 144 73 57 162 158
5 Southwest Airlines   United States 137 157 123 67 162 163
6 Lufthansa Group   Germany 123 101 24 36 145 142
7 Air France–KLM   France &
  Netherlands 		118 83 28
#14		 85
#12
8 IAG   UK &
  Spain 		115 95 31
#12		 118 112
9 IndiGo   India 105 75 48 35
#11		 61
#16
10 Turkish Airlines   Turkey 83 72 45 28
#17=		 75
#14
Sources [30] [25] [31] [28] [32] [33]

Freight (millions of CTK)[34]

edit
For broader coverage of this topic, see Cargo airline.
 
FedEx Express is the largest by freight tonne-kilometers.
Rank Airline Country 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
1 FedEx Express   United States 17,923 19,547 20,660 19,656 17,503 17,499
2 Qatar Airways Cargo   Qatar 14,406 14,267 16,102 13,740 13,024 12,695
3 UPS Airlines   United States 14,239 15,889 15,529 14,371 12,842 12,459
4 Emirates SkyCargo   United Arab Emirates 10,636 10,153 11,842 9,569 12,052 12,713
5 Atlas Air   United States 8,915 8,675 8,441 5,458 #12 4,522 #16 4,553 #16
6 Korean Air Cargo   South Korea 8,411 9,518 10,429 8,104 7,412 7,839
7 Turkish Cargo   Turkey 8,325 8,318 9,223 6,977 7,029 5,890
8 Cathay Cargo   Hong Kong 8,099 5,774 #13 8,215 8,137 10,930 11,284
9 China Southern Airlines Cargo   China 7,610 6,915 8,078 6,591 6,825 6,597
10 Cargolux   Luxembourg 6,807 7,971 8,587 7,345 7,180 7,322

Fleet Size

edit

Aircraft operated (March 2025)[35]

edit
 
United Airlines operates the largest number of aircraft, as of March 2025.
Rank Airline Country No. Ref.
1 United Airlines   United States 1,015 [36]
2 American Airlines   United States 983 [37]
3 Delta Air Lines   United States 978 [38]
4 Southwest Airlines   United States 801 [39]
5 China Southern Airlines   China 673 [citation needed]
6 China Eastern Airlines   China 663 [citation needed]
7 Ryanair   Ireland 612 [citation needed]
8 Lufthansa   Germany 514 [citation needed]
9 SkyWest Airlines   United States 509 [40]
10 Air China   China 494 [citation needed]


Aircraft owned (January 2025)

edit
 
China National Aviation Holdings Air China Group has the world's most valuable fleet, despite owning fewer aircraft than Delta Air Lines, Inc. or American Airlines Group, which co-lead by numbers.
Rank Holding company No. Value ($bn)
1 United Airlines Holdings 1,026   17.9  
2 Delta Air Lines, Inc. 1,007   15.8  
3 Air China Group 907   19.0  
4 American Airlines Group 746   16.7  
5 Lufthansa Group 721   11.7  
6 Southwest Airlines 697   15.9  
7 China Southern Airlines 663   17.3  
8 China Eastern Airlines 652   18.5  
9 Ryanair Holdings 607   15.3  
10 Air France-KLM Group 572   10.7  
11 IAG 570   10.4  
12 SkyWest, Inc. 520   4.5  

Network

edit

Destinations served (March 2025)[41]

edit
Main article: List of airlines with more than 100 destinations
 
United Airlines serves the largest number of destinations, as of February 2024.
Rank Airline Country No.
1 United Airlines   United States 376
2 American Airlines   United States 356
3 Delta Air Lines   United States 311
4 Turkish Airlines   Turkey 286
5 Ryanair   Ireland 239
6 China Southern Airlines   China 235
7 China Eastern Airlines   China 224
8 Lufthansa   Germany 214
9 British Airways   United Kingdom 213
10 Air France   France 196

Countries served (March 2025)

edit
 
Turkish Airlines serves the largest number of countries, as of February 2024.
Main article: List of airlines by countries served
Rank Airline Country No. Ref.
1 Turkish Airlines   Turkey 123 [42]
2 Qatar Airways   Qatar 89 [43]
3 Ethiopian Airlines   Ethiopia 87 [44]
4 Air France   France 85 [45]
5 Emirates   United Arab Emirates 80 [46]
6 United Airlines   United States 75 [47]
=7 British Airways   United Kingdom 74 [48]
=7 Lufthansa   Germany 74 [49]
9 KLM   Netherlands 64 [50]
10 American Airlines   United States 61 [51]

Flights daily (March 2025)[52]

edit
Rank Airline Country No.
1 American Airlines   United States 5,946
2 Delta Air Lines   United States 4,343
3 United Airlines   United States 4,167
4 Southwest Airlines   United States 3,592
5 Ryanair   Ireland 2,584
6 China Eastern Airlines   China 2,506
7 IndiGo   India 2,244
8 China Southern Airlines   China 2,125
9 Air China   China 1,659
10 easyJet   United Kingdom 1,298

Routes served (March 2025)

edit
 
Southwest Airlines serves the largest number of routes, as of February 2024.
Rank Airline Country No. Ref.
1 Southwest Airlines   United States 2,831 [53]
2 Ryanair   Ireland 2,611 [54]
3 American Airlines   United States 1,250 [55]
4 China Eastern Airlines   China 1,038 [56]
5 United Airlines   United States 1,120 [57]
6 Delta Air Lines   United States 1,042 [58]
7 China Southern Airlines   China 814 [59]
8 Air China   China 631 [60]
9 IndiGo   India 610
10 Turkish Airlines   Turkey 401 [61]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ https://www.airwaysmag.com/new-post/largest-airlines-april
  2. ^ https://www.statista.com/chart/32723/selected-economical-indicators-of-american-delta-southwest-and-united/
  3. ^ https://www.flightglobal.com/fleets/united-claims-worlds-largest-mainline-fleet-following-milestone-aircraft-delivery/161777.article
  4. ^ https://ir.united.com/static-files/137d1550-984b-4f42-a6ae-82db5e856f95
  5. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/UA
  6. ^ https://www.threads.net/@datainrace/post/DDzjpjESdl2/media
  7. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/tk
  8. ^ https://s2.q4cdn.com/181345880/files/doc_financials/2024/q4/DAL-12-31-2024-10K-2-11-25-Filed.pdf
  9. ^ https://ir.united.com/static-files/137d1550-984b-4f42-a6ae-82db5e856f95
  10. ^ https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/node/42651/html
  11. ^ https://www.airfranceklm.com/sites/default/files/2025-02/2024.12_afklm_financial_statements_and_notes.pdf
  12. ^ https://www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com/~/media/Files/S/Southwest-IR/2024-10k-final.pdf
  13. ^ "Airlines 50 2024". Brand Finance. Brandirectory. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  14. ^ https://airadvisor.com/en-us/blog/worlds-biggest-airlines
  15. ^ https://ir.united.com/static-files/137d1550-984b-4f42-a6ae-82db5e856f95
  16. ^ https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/static-files/9fae85f6-eafd-4b11-ae37-5c302871a245
  17. ^ https://s2.q4cdn.com/181345880/files/doc_financials/2024/q4/DAL-12-31-2024-10K-2-11-25-Filed.pdf
  18. ^ https://c.ekstatic.net/ecl/documents/annual-report/2022-2023.pdf
  19. ^ https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/us/southwest/SEC/sec-show.aspx?FilingId=18167883&Cik=0000092380&Type=PDF&hasPdf=1
  20. ^ https://www.statista.com/statistics/691525/qatar-airways-available-seat-kilometers/#:~:text=In%20the%20fiscal%20year%202023,seat%20kilometers%20throughout%20the%20years.
  21. ^ https://investor.ryanair.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ryanair-2024-Annual-Report.pdf
  22. ^ https://www.csair.com/en/about/investor/yejibaogao/2023/resource/0ea6e9bd43e92fdcdb0a5f2bf9916dc4.pdf
  23. ^ https://investor.turkishairlines.com/documents/infografik/fact-sheet-2023.pdf
  24. ^ https://www.ceair.com/global/en_static/AboutChinaEasternAirlines/intoEasternAirlines/InvestorRelations/announcement/HongKongStockExchange/hkExcReleased2024_1/202404/P020240426346233104414.pdf
  25. ^ a b "2023 World Airline Report: Airline Traffic Table". Air Transport World. July/August 2023. Aviation Week Network. 4 August 2023.
  26. ^ "Cirium Airline Passenger Rankings for 2021". September 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  27. ^ "Airline top 100 2022". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Traffic table". Flight Global. 2020.
  29. ^ "Airlines, Airports and Airliners 2020 full year results" (PDF). France Aviation Civile Services. April 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  30. ^ https://airadvisor.com/en-us/blog/worlds-biggest-airlines
  31. ^ "Traffic table". Flight Global. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  32. ^ "Traffic rankings". Flight Global. 2019.
  33. ^ "World Airline Rankings". Flight Global. 2019.
  34. ^ "Top 25 cargo airlines: Goes Slow on Growth in 2023". 2 September 2024.
  35. ^ https://airadvisor.com/en-us/blog/worlds-biggest-airlines
  36. ^ https://sites.google.com/site/unitedfleetsite/mainline-fleet-tracking
  37. ^ https://s2.q4cdn.com/181345880/files/doc_financials/2024/q4/DAL-12-31-2024-10K-2-11-25-Filed.pdf
  38. ^ https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/static-fi/9fae85f6-eafd-4b11-ae37-5c302871a245
  39. ^ https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/us/southwest/SEC/sec-show.aspx?FilingId=18167883&Cik=0000092380&Type=PDF&hasPdf=1
  40. ^ https://inc.skywest.com/assets/Uploads/FilingReports/SKYW-2024-10-K.pdf
  41. ^ https://airadvisor.com/en-us/blog/worlds-biggest-airlines
  42. ^ "Turkish Airlines". ch-aviation.
  43. ^ "Qatar Airways". ch-aviation.
  44. ^ "Ethiopian Airlines". ch-aviation.
  45. ^ "Air France". ch-aviation.
  46. ^ "Emirates". ch-aviation.
  47. ^ "United Airlines". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  48. ^ "British Airways". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  49. ^ "Lufthansa". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  50. ^ "KLM Royal Dutch Airlines". ch-aviation.
  51. ^ "American Airlines". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  52. ^ "Top 100 biggest airlines by number of daily departures". flightsfrom.com. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  53. ^ "Southwest Airlines". ch-aviation.
  54. ^ "Ryanair". ch-aviation.
  55. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/AA
  56. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/mu
  57. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/ua
  58. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/dl
  59. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/cz
  60. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/ca
  61. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/airlines/TK
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Largest_airlines_in_the_world&oldid=1282170993"