Largest airlines in the world

Largest public owned airlines in the world

The largest airlines in the world can be measured in several ways. As of 2024[update], 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

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(US$ billions)
1  | Delta Air Lines |  United States | 61.6 | 3.5 | 75.3 | 39 | 103,000[8]
2  | United Airlines |  United States | 57.1 | 3.1 | 74.1 | 32 | 107,300[4]
3  | American Airlines Group |  United States | 54.2 | 1.3 | 68.8 | 11  | 133,300[9]
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[10]
6  | International Airlines Group |  United Kingdom/ Spain | 34.2 | 2.9 | 41.6 | 21 | 71,794
7  | Southwest Airlines |  United States | 27.5 | 0.47 | 33.8 | 17 | 72,450[11]
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

[edit]

2025 Rank[12] | Airline  | Country  | $bn  | Year-to-year
change

|
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|
|

1  | Delta Air Lines |  United States | 14.9  | +38.3%
2  | United Airlines |  United States | 12.3  | +41.8%
3  | American Airlines |  United States | 11.7  | +14.2%
4  | Emirates |  United Arab Emirates | 8.4  | +27.1%
5  | Southwest Airlines |  United States | 6.3  | +16.8%
6  | British Airways |  United Kingdom | 4.6  | +44.9%
7  | China Southern Airlines |  China | 4.1  | +48.2%
8  | Qatar Airways |  Qatar | 3.9  | +24.3%
9  | Air Canada |  Canada | 3.2  | +14.1%
10  | China Eastern |  China | 3.2  | +25.9%

## Capacity

[edit]

### Airlines by available seat miles (ASMs)

[edit]

Numbers are listed in billions of ASMs.

Rank  | Airline  | Country  | 2024  | 2023  | 2022  | 2021  | 2020  | 2019  | Ref

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1  | United Airlines |  United States | 311 | 291 | 248 | 179 | 123 | 285 | [4]
2  | American Airlines |  United States | 293 | 278 | 260 | 215 | 143 | 285 | [13]
3  | Delta Air Lines |  United States | 288 | 272 | 233 | 194 | 134 | 275 | [8]
4  | Emirates |  United Arab Emirates | 222 | 230 | 177 | 99 | 40 | 228 | [14]
5  | Southwest Airlines |  United States | 178 | 170 | 148 | 132 | 103 | 157 | [15]
6  | Qatar Airways |  Qatar | 159 | 157 | 131 | 100 | 58 | 149 | [16]
7  | Ryanair |  Ireland | 159 | 152 | 138 | 91 | 30 | 118 | [17]
8  | China Southern Airlines |  China | 151 | 197 | 96 | 133 | 134 | 214 | [18]
9  | Turkish Airlines |  Turkey | 145 | 146 | 124 | 80 | 47 | 117 | [19]
10  | China Eastern Airlines |  China | 138 | 114 | 60 | 100 | 95 | 168 | [20]

### Airline groups by available seat kilometers (ASKs)

[edit]

Numbers are listed in billions of ASKs.

Rank  | Airline Group  | Country  | 2022  | 2021  | 2020  | 2019

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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 |  United Kingdom/ 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 | [21] | [22][23] | [24] | [25]

### Airline groups by passengers (millions)

[edit]

Rank  | Airline Group  | Country  | 2023  | 2022  | 2021  | 2020  | 2019  | 2018

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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  | International Airlines Group |  United Kingdom/ 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 |  | [21] | [26] | [24] | [27] | [28]

### Freight (millions of CTK)

[edit]

For broader coverage of this topic, see Cargo airline.

FedEx Express is the largest by freight tonne-kilometers. Rank[29] | Airline  | Country  | 2023  | 2022  | 2021  | 2020  | 2019  | 2018

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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 (June 2025)

[edit]

United Airlines operates the largest number of aircraft, as of June 2025. Rank | Airline | Country | No. | Ref.

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1  | United Airlines |  United States | 1,037 | [30]
2  | American Airlines |  United States | 992 | [8]
3  | Delta Air Lines |  United States | 986 | [31]
4  | China Southern Airlines |  China | 850 | [32]
5  | Southwest Airlines |  United States | 801 | [15]
6  | China Eastern Airlines |  China | 800 | [33]
7  | Ryanair |  Ireland | 624 | [34]
8  | SkyWest Airlines |  United States | 579 | [citation needed]
9  | Air China |  China | 500 | [35]
10  | Turkish Airlines |  Turkey | 493 | [36]

### 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)

[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.

|
|
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1  | United Airlines |  United States | 381[37]
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 (June 2025)

[edit]

Turkish Airlines serves the largest number of countries, as of June 2025.

Main article: List of airlines by countries served

Rank  | Airline  | Country  | No. | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1  | Turkish Airlines |  Turkey | 124  | [38]
2  | Qatar Airways |  Qatar | 92  | [39]
3  | Ethiopian Airlines |  Ethiopia | 87  | [40]
4  | Air France |  France | 86  | [41]
5  | Emirates |  United Arab Emirates | 80  | [42]
=6  | United Airlines |  United States | 77  | [43]
=6  | British Airways |  United Kingdom | 77  | [44]
8  | Lufthansa |  Germany | 75  | [45]
9  | KLM |  Netherlands | 66  | [46]
10  | American Airlines |  United States | 61  | [47]

### Flights daily (March 2025)

[edit]

Rank[48] | 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  | [49]
2  | Ryanair |  Ireland | 2,611  | [50]
3  | American Airlines |  United States | 1,250  | [51]
4  | China Eastern Airlines |  China | 1,038  | [52]
5  | United Airlines |  United States | 1,120  | [37]
6  | Delta Air Lines |  United States | 1,042  | [53]
7  | China Southern Airlines |  China | 814  | [54]
8  | Air China |  China | 631  | [55]
9  | IndiGo |  India | 610  |
10  | Turkish Airlines |  Turkey | 401  | [56]

## See also

[edit]

* Aviation portal
* Companies portal
* Transport portal
* Lists portal

* 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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The World's Largest Global Airlines in April 2024".
2. ^ "Infographic: How the Four Biggest U.S. Airlines Compare". 26 July 2024.
3. ^ "United claims 'world's largest' mainline fleet following milestone aircraft delivery".
4. ^ a b c "Form 10k, United Airlines, 2024".
5. ^ "United Airlines - ch-aviation".
6. ^ "Threads".
7. ^ "Turkish Airlines - ch-aviation".
8. ^ a b c https://s2.q4cdn.com/181345880/files/doc_financials/2024/q4/DAL-12-31-2024-10K-2-11-25-Filed.pdf [bare URL PDF]
9. ^ https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/node/42651/html [bare URL]
10. ^ https://www.airfranceklm.com/sites/default/files/2025-02/2024.12_afklm_financial_statements_and_notes.pdf [bare URL PDF]
11. ^ https://www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com/~/media/Files/S/Southwest-IR/2024-10k-final.pdf [bare URL PDF]
12. ^ "Airlines 50 2025". Brand Finance. Brandirectory. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
13. ^ https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/static-files/9fae85f6-eafd-4b11-ae37-5c302871a245 [bare URL]
14. ^ https://c.ekstatic.net/ecl/documents/annual-report/2022-2023.pdf [bare URL PDF]
15. ^ a b https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/us/southwest/SEC/sec-show.aspx?FilingId=18167883&Cik=0000092380&Type=PDF&hasPdf=1 [bare URL]
16. ^ "Qatar Airways: Available seat kilometers 2024".
17. ^ https://investor.ryanair.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ryanair-2024-Annual-Report.pdf [bare URL PDF]
18. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.csair.com.
19. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). investor.turkishairlines.com.
20. ^ https://www.ceair.com/global/en_static/AboutChinaEasternAirlines/intoEasternAirlines/InvestorRelations/announcement/HongKongStockExchange/hkExcReleased2024_1/202404/P020240426346233104414.pdf [bare URL PDF]
21. ^ a b "2023 World Airline Report: Airline Traffic Table". Air Transport World. July/August 2023. Aviation Week Network. 4 August 2023.
22. ^ "Cirium Airline Passenger Rankings for 2021". September 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
23. ^ "Airline top 100 2022". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
24. ^ a b "Traffic table". Flight Global. 2020.
25. ^ "Airlines, Airports and Airliners 2020 full year results" (PDF). France Aviation Civile Services. April 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
26. ^ "Traffic table". Flight Global. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
27. ^ "Traffic rankings". Flight Global. 2019.
28. ^ "World Airline Rankings". Flight Global. 2019.
29. ^ "Top 25 cargo airlines: Goes Slow on Growth in 2023". 2 September 2024.
30. ^ "A public showcase of Cirium's Airline & Lessor profiles".
31. ^ https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/static-fi/9fae85f6-eafd-4b11-ae37-5c302871a245 [bare URL]
32. ^ https://www.csair.com/us/en/about/gongsijianjie/#:~:text=Currently, China Southern Airlines operates,in terms of fleet size) . [bare URL]
33. ^ "China Eastern About China Eastern".
34. ^ "Our Fleet".
35. ^ https://inc.skywest.com/assets/Uploads/FilingReports/SKYW-2024-10-K.pdf [bare URL PDF]
36. ^ "Turkish Airlines - Investor Relations".
37. ^ a b "United Airlines on ch-aviation".
38. ^ "Turkish Airlines". ch-aviation.
39. ^ "Qatar Airways". ch-aviation.
40. ^ "Ethiopian Airlines". ch-aviation.
41. ^ "Air France". ch-aviation.
42. ^ "Emirates". ch-aviation.
43. ^ "United Airlines". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
44. ^ "British Airways". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
45. ^ "Lufthansa". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
46. ^ "KLM Royal Dutch Airlines". ch-aviation.
47. ^ "American Airlines". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
48. ^ "Top 100 biggest airlines by number of daily departures". flightsfrom.com. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
49. ^ "Southwest Airlines". ch-aviation.
50. ^ "Ryanair". ch-aviation.
51. ^ "American Airlines on ch-aviation".
52. ^ "China Eastern Airlines on ch-aviation".
53. ^ "Delta Air Lines on ch-aviation". ch-aviation.
54. ^ "China Southern Airlines on ch-aviation".
55. ^ "Air China on ch-aviation".
56. ^ "Turkish Airlines on ch-aviation". ch-aviation.

* v
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Aviation statistics

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Busiest airports by
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*[No.]: Number of routes served
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