Largest airlines in the world

The largest airlines in the world can be defined in several ways. As of 2023, Delta Air Lines is the largest by revenue, assets value, fleet size, and market capitalization; American Airlines Group by passengers carried, revenue passenger mile, number of employees and destinations served; FedEx Express by freight tonne-kilometers; Ryanair by number of routes; and Turkish Airlines by number of countries served.

By financial performance
Delta Air Lines ranks first by revenue, total assets, market capitalization, and brand value.
American Airlines Group ranks first by number of employees and passengers carried.

Revenue
Forbes' world's biggest public airline companies by revenue (as of January 2023)[1]
Rank Airline Country Revenue Profit Assets Market
cap.		 Employees
(US$ billions)
1 Delta Air Lines United States 53.991.9073.1321.8195,000
2 American Airlines Group United States 52.261.7766.799.05129,700
3 United Airlines Holdings United States 48.821.9270.4214.792,800
4 Lufthansa Group Germany 35.80.9448.7912.10109,509
5 Air France–KLM France/ Netherlands 29.410.9734.814.1278,950
6 Southwest Airlines United States 24.830.6535.5517.6566,000
7 International Airlines Group Spain 24.281.1541.959.4166,044
8 Turkish Airlines Turkey 19.682.7932.008.8840,264
9 China Southern Airlines China 12.92–4.8144.9212.54100,431
10 Air Canada Canada 12.72–1.3121.785.3342,916

Note that Emirates is a state-owned company, and is thus not included in this list of public companies. Its 2023 revenue was estimated over 29.2 billion USD, which would have had placed the company into 6th place. 2021's over 18 billion USD and 5th place. Its 2014-2015 revenue was Dhs. 88.819 billion (US$24.2 billion), profit Dhs. 4.555 billion (US$1.24 billion), and assets Dhs. 111.362 billion (US$30.34 billion), with 56,725 employees. Qatar Airways Group is similarly privately held with 2023 revenue of nearly 21 billions USD placing it into the 9th place (with Emirates included) above the Turkish Airlines.

Brand value
Largest airlines by brand value (US$ billions) according to Brand Finance (2023)[2]
Rank Airline Country $bn Year-to-year
change
1 Steady Delta Air Lines  United States 8.922 +21.8%
2 Steady American Airlines  United States 8.488 +35.5%
3 Steady United Airlines  United States 7.782 +41.9%
4 Steady Emirates  United Arab Emirates 5.104 +2.4%
5 Steady Southwest Airlines  United States 4.703 −4.6%
6 Rise China Southern Airlines  China 3.229 +39.5%
7 Rise China Eastern Airlines  China 2.852 +25.7%
8 Steady Air China  China 2.603 +9.3%
9 Fall Air Canada  Canada 2.584 +2.9%
10 Rise Qatar Airways  Qatar 2.470 +22.6%

By flight volume

Passengers carried
Millions of passengers carried
Rank Airline Group Country 2022[3][4] 2020[5] 2019[6] 2018[7] 2017[8] 2016[9] 2015[10] 2014[11] 2013[12] 2012[13] 2011[14]
1 American Airlines Group  United States 199.395.3215.2203.7199.6198.7146.5387.8386.82386.33586.042
2 Delta Air Lines Group  United States 175.080.0204.0192.5186.4183.7138.842129.433120.636116.726113.731
3 Ryanair  Ireland 168.652.4148.6142.1130.3119.8101.40186.37081.39579.64976.422
4 Southwest Airlines  United States 157.067.8162.7163.6157.8151.8144.575129.087115.323112.234110.587
5 United Airlines Holdings  United States 144.357.8162.4158.3148.1143.295.38490.43990.16192.61950.473
6 Lufthansa Group  Germany 101.836.4145.2142.3130.0117.4115.2112.5110.4108.9112.0
7 IAG  Spain 94.731.3 #12118.3112.9104.83100.794.977.367.254.651.7
8 Air France–KLM  France/ Netherlands 83.328.9 #1485.6 #12
9 IndiGo  India 75.335.0 #1161.9 #16
10 Turkish Airlines  Turkey 71.828.0 #17=75.2 #14

Scheduled passenger-kilometers flown (millions)
American Airlines and United Express aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport
Airline holding groups
Rank Airline Group Country 2022[3] 2021[15][16] 2020[5] 2019[17] 2017[8] 2016[18] 2015[19] 2013[20]
1 American Airlines Group United States347,221259,570147,746388,254364,191~359,400358,823~206,500
2 United Airlines Holdings United States332,997207,572118,878385,211347,963~328,200335,728~287,200
3 Delta Air Lines Group United States314,783216,766118,120382,400350,299~342,600337,264~278,000
4 Air France–KLM France/ Netherlands237,567116,10481,212275,500248,476~238,200235,715~228,900
5 Emirates United Arab Emirates225,86793,799 #1178,746298,000292,221~270,800255,176~209,300
6 International Airlines Group UK/ Spain215,74978,689 #1572,262285,800252,819~243,500221,996186,304
7 Lufthansa Group Germany207,03589,397 #1369,462296,500261,156~226,600220,400~153,400
8 Southwest Airlines United States199,425166,66787,242211,379 #11207,802~200,700189,057~167,800
9 Turkish Airlines Turkey162,665153,200 #15
10 Qatar Airways Qatar154,372172,600 #13
Ryanair Ireland116,625 #11~121,000185,405 #12130,588 #12~103,500 #15
China Southern Air Holding China102,078 #13152,426153,442284,900230,697~206,100189,552~148,400
Aeroflot Group Russia98,407 #14100,11268,014 #11156,250 #1497,636 #20
China Eastern Air Holding China61,272 #23108,804107,302220,000183,152~167,500 #11146,291 #11~120,400 #11
Air China Group China60,354 #24104,626109,832233,178201,090~188,100171,695~142,600
Individual airlines
Rank Airline Country 2022[4] 2021[15] 2020[21] 2019 2018[22] 2017[23] 2016[24] 2015[25] 2014[26] 2013[27] 2012[28] 2011[29]
1 American Airlines United States 308,065237,471123,997342,510330,577323,968320,044320,813208,046206,551203,336203,485
2 United Airlines United States 305,893178,499100,188342,935329,562310,859299,080294,970287,547286,802288,282160,270
3 Delta Air Lines United States 292,202195,312106,488350,145330,034316,378308,088302,512290,862277,560271,567269,724
4 Emirates United Arab Emirates 225,86793,79978,746299,496302,298288,886270,797251,190230,855209,377180,880153,264
5 Ryanair Ireland ~207,000120,56364,928185,405170,900157,114142,740125,194
6 Southwest Airlines United States 199,263166,63187,263211,379214,561207,762200,848189,097162,445145,124137,708134,918
7 Qatar Airways Qatar ~168,00091,55157,171172,591152,210 #11137,603 #11
8 Turkish Airlines Turkey 162,65586,70152,206 #11150,240 #14145,521 #13125,098 #14
9 Air France France 123,44460,180 #1348,809 #12150,870 #13143,904 #14136,659 #12139,217134,528136,405135,821133,035
10 Lufthansa Germany 119,36350,067 #1737,503 #16165,945 #11158,986152,214149,702145,904143,403144,236142,512140,972
British Airways United Kingdom 104,496 #1230,698 #3038,825 #14155,252 #12151,784 #12144,028140,780137,204130,129124,318116,864
China Southern Airlines China 102,078 #13109,309110,650213,573200,239177,458205,720189,186166,074147,841135,021121,944
Qantas Australia 63,849 #2210,157 #7786,199 #2485,663 #23120,029 #15110,203108,051
China Eastern Airlines China 61,288 #2488,67788,728186,644166,282150,916138,042
Air China China 60,355 #2567,745 #1171,417169,030161,199146,961135,464 #13112,247-
Continental Airlines‡ United States —‡131,583

‡ - marks a defunct airline.


Scheduled freight tonne-kilometers (millions)
For broader coverage of this topic, see Cargo airline.
FedEx Express is the largest by freight tonne-kilometers.
Rank Airline Country 2022[30] 2021[31] 2020[21] 2019[32] 2018[22] 2017[23] 2016[24] 2015[25] 2014[33] 2013[34] 2012[35]
1 FedEx Express  United States 19,54720,66019,65617,50317,49916,85115,71215,79916,02016,12716,108
2 UPS Airlines  United States 15,88915,52914,37112,84212,45911,94011,26410,80710,93610,58410,416
3 Qatar Airways Cargo  Qatar 14,26716,10213,74013,02412,69510,9999,2217,6605,9974,972
4 Emirates SkyCargo  United Arab Emirates 10,15311,8429,56912,05212,71312,71512,27012,15711,24010,4599,319
5 Korean Air Cargo  South Korea 9,51810,4298,1047,4127,8398,0157,6667,7618,0797,6668,144
6 Atlas Air  United States 8,6758,4415,458 #124,522 #164,553 #16
7 Turkish Cargo  Turkey 8,3189,2236,9777,0295,890 #124,728 #153,640 #20
8 Cargolux  Luxembourg 7,9718,5877,3457,1807,3227,3226,8786,3095,7535,225
9 China Southern Airlines Cargo  China 6,9158,0786,5916,8256,5976,174 #115,939 #115,355 #114,736 #12
10 China Airlines Cargo  Taiwan 6,3597,513 #116,3175,334 #135,804 #135,741 #125,273 #125,343 #125,2664,8134,538
Air China Cargo  China 6,077 #127,016 #126,121 #116,767 #117,0516,7016,0895,7184,910 #11
Cathay Pacific Cargo  Hong Kong 5,774 #138,2158,13710,93011,28410,7729,9479,9359,4648,2418,433
Singapore Airlines Cargo  Singapore 5,193 #155,462 #164,156 #176,146 #126,491 #116,5926,3456,0836,0196,2406,694
Lufthansa Cargo  Germany 5,153 #165,324 #174,828 #157,2267,3947,3177,3846,8887,0547,2187,175

By fleet size

Aircraft operated
Delta Air Lines operates the largest number of aircraft, as of May 2024.
May 2024[36]
RankAirlineCountryNo.Ref.
1 Delta Air Lines[lower-alpha 1]  United States 990 [37]
2 American Airlines[lower-alpha 1]  United States 967 [38]
3 United Airlines[lower-alpha 1]  United States 953 [39]
4 Southwest Airlines  United States 815 [40]
5 China Southern Airlines  China 662 [41]
6 China Eastern Airlines  China 623 [42]
7 SkyWest Airlines[lower-alpha 2]  United States 572 [43]
8 FedEx Express[lower-alpha 3]  United States 498 [44]
9 Air China  China 495 [45]
10 IndiGo  India 371 [46]
  1. Mainline carrier. Includes mainline (non-regional) fleet only.
  2. Non-mainline (regional) carrier.
  3. Cargo carrier.


Aircraft owned
China National Aviation Holdings Air China Group has the world's most valuable fleet, despite owning less aircraft than Delta Air Lines, Inc. or American Airlines Group, which co-lead by numbers.
July 2023[47]
RankHolding companyNo.Value ($bn)
1 (tie) #4 American Airlines Group854 #59516.7 #14.7
1 (tie) #2 Delta Air Lines, Inc.854 #68215.8 #12.4
3 #1 United Airlines Holdings764 #70017.9 #14.0
4 #3 Southwest Airlines759 #65016.8 #11.4
5 #6 China Eastern Airlines583 #50118.5 #14.4
6 #9 Air China Group580 #35219.0 #11.6
7 #7 China Southern Airlines545 #44717.3 #14.8
8 #8 Ryanair Holdings529 #41715.3 #10.6
9 #5 SkyWest, Inc.520 #5114.5 #4.4
10 #11 Lufthansa Group514 #26811.7 #6.8

Aircraft capacity
American Airlines leads by capacity to carry passengers.
2022[48]
Rank Airline Country Annual Capacity
1 American Airlines  United States 248,299,958
2 Delta Air Lines  United States 210,132,982
3 Southwest Airlines  United States 208,191,620
4 United Airlines  United States 177,513,595
5 Ryanair  Ireland 169,559,280
6 China Southern Airlines  China 106,602,244
7 China Eastern Airlines  China 101,138,367
8 IndiGo  India 99,449,786
9 Turkish Airlines  Turkey 89,471,060
10 easyJet  United Kingdom 88,142,891

By route network

Countries served
Turkish Airlines serves the largest number of countries, as of February 2024.
February 2024
Rank Airline Country No. Ref.
1 Turkish Airlines  Turkey 119 [49]
2 Qatar Airways  Qatar 88 [50]
=3 Air France  France 84 [51]
=3 Ethiopian Airlines  Ethiopia 84 [52]
5 Emirates  United Arab Emirates 79 [53]
6 British Airways  United Kingdom 78 [54]
7 Lufthansa  Germany 77 [55]
8 United Airlines  United States 71 [56]
9 KLM  Netherlands 64 [57]
10 American Airlines  United States 63 [58]

Destinations served
United Airlines serves the largest number of destinations, as of February 2024.
February 2024
Rank Airline Country No. Ref.
1 United Airlines  United States 357 [56]
2 American Airlines  United States 352 [58]
3 Delta Air Lines  United States 310 [59]
4 Turkish Airlines  Turkey 286 [49]
5 China Southern Airlines  China 238 [60]
6 Ryanair  Ireland 235 [61]
7 Lufthansa  Germany 226 [54]
8 China Eastern Airlines  China 225 [62]
9 British Airways  United Kingdom 208 [55]
10 Air France  France 202 [51]

Routes served
Southwest Airlines serves the largest number of routes, as of February 2024.
February 2024
Rank Airline Country No. Ref.
1 Southwest Airlines  United States 3,161 [63]
2 Ryanair  Ireland 2,631 [61]
3 American Airlines  United States 1,237 [58]
4 China Eastern Airlines  China 1,051 [62]
5 United Airlines  United States 1,033 [56]
6 Delta Air Lines  United States 975 [59]
7 China Southern Airlines  China 963 [60]
8 Air China  China 641 [64]
9 IndiGo  India 610 [65]
10 Turkish Airlines  Turkey 531 [49]

    See also
    • Flag carrier
    • List of largest airlines in North America
    • List of largest airlines in Europe
    • List of largest airlines in Central America and the Caribbean
    • List of largest airlines in Africa
    • List of largest airlines in Asia
    • List of largest airlines in South America
    • List of largest airlines in Oceania
    • List of airline holding companies
    • List of the busiest airports in Africa
    • List of the busiest airports in Asia
    • List of the busiest airports in Europe
    • List of the busiest airports in Latin America
    • List of the busiest airports
    • List of busiest airports by passenger traffic
    • List of busiest airports by aircraft movements
    • List of busiest passenger air routes

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