7 Largest Airline Companies in the World

7 Largest Airline Companies in the World

Although there are a number of ways to measure the largest airlines in the world, one of the most frequently used metrics is revenue passenger-kilometres (RPKs). It is calculated by multiplying the number of annual revenue passengers by the total distance travelled. Using this metric, the following seven airlines currently come out on top:

– AMERICAN AIRLINES

Widely recognised as the world’s largest airline, not only in terms of revenue passenger-kilometres, but also in terms of fleet size and total passengers carried, American Airlines has been offering passenger services since 1936. The company is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

American Airlines operates with a fleet of close to 1,000 aircraft, flies to almost 100 international destinations and handles more than 200 million annual passengers. Its largest hub is Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

DELTA

Within the aviation industry, Delta Air Lines is a legacy carrier airline, which has been offering passenger services since 1929. The company has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and provides services to more than 200 million passengers each year, operating with a fleet of around 900 aircraft. Its main hub is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

In total, the airline offers flights to more than 300 destinations, spread across 50 different countries. Delta is also recognised as the largest member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

UNITED

Offering passenger flights since 1931, United Airlines has a fleet of around 800 aircraft and serves more than 300 destinations. It is widely recognised as the third largest airline in the world and its headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois, with Chicago O’Hare International Airport serving as its largest hub.

United Airlines caters for more than 150 million annual passengers and is a key member of the Star Alliance.

EMIRATES

Emirates is a state-owned airline, based in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been offering passenger services since 1985 and, in addition to being the fourth largest airline in the world, as measured by RPKs, it is also the second-largest airline in the world when it comes to the movement of cargo or freight.

The airline operates with a fleet of more than 250 aircraft, provides flights to more than 80 countries and has its main hub at Dubai International Airport. It is not a member of any airline alliance.

SOUTHWEST

Southwest Airlines is a low-cost airline within the aviation sector, which has been offering passenger services since 1971. Regarded as the largest low-cost carrier in the world, the company has a fleet of more than 700 aircraft, and offers flights to around 100 destinations – most of which are in the United States, Mexico and Central America.

The company’s headquarters is situated in Dallas, Texas, and it has a total of 11 crew bases throughout the United States. However, rather than using a hub system, Southwest Airlines operates via point-to-point transit.

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES

China Southern Airlines has its headquarters in the city of Guangzhou and has been offering passenger services since 1988. The airline has a fleet of more than 600 aircraft, provides flights to more than 200 global destinations and is recognised as the largest airline in Asia, based on RPKs, fleet size and the total number of annual passengers.

It has hubs at Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Until 2020, China Southern was part of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

RYANAIR

Based in Dublin, Ireland, Ryanair is a low-cost airline within the aviation sector, which has been offering commercial flights since 1985. Its main operational bases are Dublin Airport and London Stanstead, and the company has several sister airlines, including Malta Air and Lauda. In total, the airline has a fleet of more than 300 aircraft.

Ryanair is especially notable for offering more routes and carrying more international passengers than any other airline in the world, even including the likes of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.