World's Largest Airlines

Ryanair is an Irish ultra-low-cost airline headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1984, it has grown to become the busiest airline in Europe by passenger numbers, operating hundre

American Airlines is a major U.S. carrier headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and a subsidiary of American Airlines Group. Founded in 1926, it has grown through numerous mergers and acquisitions to be

United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world by fleet size and route network, serving hundreds of destinations across six continents. It operates through a major hub-and-spoke system ce

Delta Air Lines is one of the world's largest and most established commercial airlines, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1924 as a crop-dusting operation, it has grown into a global carri

US Airways was a major American airline headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, operating scheduled passenger and cargo services across the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. At

China Southern Airlines is the largest airline in China by fleet size and passenger volume, and one of the largest carriers in the world. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Guangzhou, it operates an

China Eastern Airlines is one of China's three major state-owned carriers, headquartered in Shanghai. Founded in 1988, it has grown into a global airline operating an extensive network spanning domest

Air China is the national flag carrier of the People's Republic of China, headquartered in Beijing. Founded in 1988 following the restructuring of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), it

Southwest Airlines is a major American low-cost carrier headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1967 and commencing service in 1971, it has grown into one of the largest domestic airlines in the Un

easyJet is a British low-cost airline founded in 1995 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. Operating from multiple European bases, it is one of the continent's largest carriers by passenger numbers, serving o

Air France is the national carrier of France and one of the world's largest airlines, operating an extensive network of flights to more than 170 destinations across five continents. Founded in 1933, t

Lufthansa is Germany's largest airline and one of the world's leading international carriers, operating an extensive network across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Founded in

Lufthansa Cargo is the freight division of the Lufthansa Group, one of the world's leading international air cargo carriers. Founded in 1994 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, it s

Alitalia was the flag carrier of Italy, operating for over seven decades as one of Europe's most recognized airlines. Founded in 1946, it served destinations across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and A

ITA Airways (Italia Trasporto Aereo) is the Italian national airline that commenced operations on October 15, 2021, succeeding the defunct Alitalia after decades of financial difficulties led to the l

Iberia Airlines is the national flag carrier of Spain, founded in 1927, making it one of the oldest airlines in the world still in operation. Headquartered in Madrid, the airline operates an extensive

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the flag carrier of the Netherlands, founded in 1919, making it the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. It serves a global network of desti

Shenzhen Airlines is a major Chinese carrier headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Founded in 1992, it operates an extensive network of domestic routes across China as well as a growing numbe

Air Berlin was a German low-cost and leisure carrier that grew to become the second-largest airline in Germany, after Lufthansa. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Berlin, it operated an extensive n

AirTran Airways was a major low-cost carrier based in the United States, operating primarily out of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Founded from the remnants of ValuJet Air

Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada, operating an extensive domestic and international network. Founded in 1937 as Trans-Canada Air Lines, it was rebranded as Air Canada in 19

Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier of Turkey, founded in 1933 as a state airline and now one of the world's largest carriers by number of destinations. Operating from its primary base at Is

Norwegian Air Shuttle is a Norwegian low-cost carrier founded in 1993 and headquartered in Fornebu, Norway. It operates under the IATA code DY and is one of Europe's largest budget airlines, known for

Hainan Airlines is a major Chinese carrier headquartered in Haikou, Hainan Province. Founded in 1993, it grew rapidly to become the fourth-largest airline in China by passenger volume, operating an ex

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom and one of the world's largest international airlines by passengers carried. Headquartered at Heathrow Airport in London, it operates

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is Japan's largest airline by passenger numbers and one of the most respected carriers in the Asia-Pacific region. Founded in 1952, ANA has grown from a small helicopter opera

Alaska Airlines is a major American carrier headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and is the fifth-largest airline in the United States by fleet size and passengers carried. Founded in 1932, the airli

Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) is the flag carrier of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, founded in 1946 through the merger of three national airlines. The airline operates as a joint venture among thes

Transavia France is a French low-cost carrier and a subsidiary of Air France-KLM, operating primarily leisure and holiday routes from France to destinations across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle

Aeroflot Russian Airlines is the national carrier of Russia and one of the oldest airlines in the world, tracing its origins to 1923. It operates an extensive domestic and international network, servi

Germanwings was a German low-cost carrier and subsidiary of Lufthansa, established to compete in the budget airline segment across European routes. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Cologne, German

Wizz Air is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier founded in 2003 and headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. It operates an extensive network across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as routes to Western

Qantas Airways is Australia's flag carrier and largest airline, widely regarded as one of the world's leading long-haul carriers. Founded in the Queensland outback in 1920, it is the third-oldest airl

Aeroméxico is the flag carrier of Mexico and one of the largest airlines in Latin America. Founded in 1934, it operates an extensive network of domestic and international routes, serving destinations

JetBlue Airways is a major American low-cost carrier headquartered in Long Island City, New York. Founded in 1998 and launching commercial operations in 2000, the airline quickly distinguished itself

Azul Brazilian Airlines is a low-cost carrier founded by JetBlue co-founder David Neeleman in 2008. It rapidly grew to become one of Brazil's largest airlines, distinguished by its focus on connecting

Air India Limited is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered in New Delhi. Founded in 1932 by J.R.D. Tata as Tata Airlines, it was nationalized in 1953 and rebranded as Air India. The airline

Sichuan Airlines is a major Chinese carrier headquartered in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. Founded in 1986 and commencing operations in 1988, it has grown into one of China's largest regio

Japan Airlines (JAL) is Japan's flag carrier and one of the largest airlines in Asia, operating an extensive network of domestic and international routes spanning Asia, the Americas, Europe, Oceania,

Japan Airlines Domestic, operating under the JAL brand with IATA code JL and ICAO code JAL, is the domestic division of Japan Airlines, one of Japan's two major full-service carriers. Flying under the

Xiamen Airlines is a Chinese carrier headquartered in Xiamen, Fujian Province, and is a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines. Founded in 1984, it was one of the first airlines in China to be establis

Formosa Airlines was a Taiwanese regional carrier that operated domestic and cross-strait charter services during the 1990s and early 2000s. The airline primarily served routes connecting Taiwan's mai

Vueling Airlines is a Spanish low-cost carrier headquartered in El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona. Founded in 2004, it has grown to become one of Spain's largest airlines, operating an extensive ne

Saudi Arabian Airlines, branded as Saudia, is the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia and one of the largest airlines in the Middle East. Founded in 1945, it operates an extensive network of domesti

Saudia, officially known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia and one of the largest airlines in the Middle East. Founded in 1945 with a single aircraft gifted by U.S. Presid

Allegiant Air is an American ultra-low-cost carrier headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Founded in 1997, the airline operates scheduled and charter passenger service primarily to leisure destinations

Air Foyle was a British cargo and charter airline founded in the 1980s, headquartered in Luton, England. The carrier became well known for operating heavy-lift and outsized cargo charters, frequently

WestJet is a major Canadian airline founded in 1996 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. It began as a low-cost carrier serving western Canada and has since grown into one of the country's two domin

Ethiopian Airlines is the flag carrier of Ethiopia and the largest airline in Africa by fleet size, revenue, and passengers carried. Founded in 1945, it has grown from a small domestic carrier into a

Malaysia Airlines (MH/MAS) is the national flag carrier of Malaysia, operating scheduled international and domestic services across Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East. Founded in 1947 as Malay

Condor Flugdienst, commonly known as Condor, is a German leisure airline headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Founded in 1955, the airline operates scheduled and charter flights to holiday destinations

TAM Brazilian Airlines, operating under IATA code JJ, was one of Brazil's largest and most prominent commercial carriers. Founded in 1961, the airline grew from a regional taxi air service into a majo

City Connexion Airlines is a small regional carrier based in Burundi, operating scheduled and charter passenger services across Central and East Africa. The airline serves destinations in the Great La

Sky Express is a Greek regional airline operating scheduled and charter flights primarily within Greece and to select European destinations. Founded in Crete, the carrier has grown to become one of Gr

Gol Transportes Aéreos, commonly known as Gol Linhas Aéreas, is one of Brazil's largest airlines and the country's leading low-cost carrier. Founded in 2001 by Constantino de Oliveira Jr. and backed b

Finnair is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, operating scheduled passenger and cargo services across Europe, Asia, and North America. Founded in 1923, it is one of the oldest continuous

Shandong Airlines is a Chinese regional carrier headquartered in Jinan, Shandong Province. Founded in 1994, the airline operates an extensive network of domestic routes across China, with a focus on c

Jet2.com is a British low-cost airline and leisure travel company headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom. Founded in 2002 as a rebranding of Channel Express, it operates scheduled flights to leisure d

Transaero Airlines was a major Russian private carrier that operated scheduled and charter international and domestic flights. Founded in 1990, it became Russia's second-largest airline by passenger v

Jet Airways was one of India's largest and most prominent full-service airlines, founded by entrepreneur Naresh Goyal. Operating as an air taxi operator from 1992 and receiving scheduled airline statu