The largest airlines in the world. The largest airlines in the world The largest air carrier

The largest airlines in the world are determined not only by financial indicators, but by the number of passengers and cargo transported, the level of passenger and cargo turnover, the total number of destinations and the size of the fleet. Below are the 5 richest airline travel companies.

1. American Airlines (American or AA)

The world leader among airlines in terms of financial performance, passenger turnover, fleet size and number of passengers carried is American Airlines Group, an American airline founded in 1930. The headquarters is located in Fort Worth. The company has 8 hubs and operates flights within the United States of America, Europe, India, Latin America, China, Canada, Japan, and the Caribbean Islands.

American Airlines was formed as a result of the merger of 82 air carriers. Its fleet consisted of wooden Fokker Trimotor ships, metal Ford Trimotor aircraft and Curtiss Condor sleeper biplanes.

The airline carried its millionth passenger in 1937. During World War II, part of the fleet was used for military purposes. American Airlines was one of the first to use jet aircraft. In April 2001, AA and Trans World Airlines merged.

On September 11, 2001, two of the company's airliners were hijacked during terrorist attacks. A Boeing 767-200 flew into the north tower, and a Boeing 757-200 into the Pentagon building. All crew members and passengers were killed. Until 2005, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was brought out of the crisis by its new manager, Edward Brenan.

US Airways joined AA in March 2014. The company's fleet increased to 964 units. According to Forbes, AA's revenue for 2014 amounted to $42.7 billion, net income - $2.9 billion. During the year, the company transported 193.7 million people. The level of passenger turnover is 348 million passenger-kilometers. The company has 94,400 employees.

2. Emirates

Emirates' history began in 1985 with two leased aircraft. The company was created by the leadership of Dubai with the aim of developing tourism in the United Arab Emirates. In May 2017, the Emirates fleet consisted of 260 aircraft, of which 140 were Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline's revenue is $23.2 billion, net profit is $1.9 billion, and the number of passengers carried is 51.9 million people per year.

The route network covers 160 points. More than 5,000 flights are carried out monthly to all continents of the planet. On average, 6,000 tons of cargo are transported per day. For several years, Emirates maintained its status as the largest international air carrier. The company is owned by the state.

Emirates is active in social activities. The company sponsors various sports competitions, does charity work, helps sick children, and supports nature reserves in Dubai and Sydney.

3. Lufthansa

Lufthansa is a German company that is the largest airline company in Europe. The air fleet consists of 620 aircraft. Turnover in 2016 was €31.66 billion, operating income was €2.28 billion, net income was €1.78 billion.

Lufthansa employs 123,287 people. The headquarters is located in Cologne. Flights are carried out to 410 points.

Lufthansa emerged in 1926 as a result of the merger of the transport company Deutsche Aero Lloyd and the Junkers Luftverkehr concern. Initially, the airline's fleet consisted of 162 aircraft of 18 types.

Lufthansa's air traffic quickly reached record levels, but in 1939 the entire fleet was mobilized for military purposes. For its collaboration with the Nazi government at the end of the war, the company was blacklisted and ceased all commercial operations. In 1955, Lufthansa resumed operations.

4. Delta Airlines

Delta has been operating since 1924. It originally existed as a crop pollination company. In 1929, Delta made its first passenger flight to the destination. In 1953 it absorbed Chicago-Southern AirLines, and in 1972 - Northeast Airlines. The first Delta Connection subsidiary was created in 1984. In 1987, a merger took place with Western Airlines, which allowed Delta Air Lines to become one of the five largest airline giants in the world.

After Pan American's bankruptcy, Delta acquired the rights to major transatlantic routes. Delta provided financial support to Pan American, and under the terms of the contract could use its brand, which was more recognizable in European countries. The company never used this right.

Delta currently has a fleet of 809 aircraft that fly passengers to 460 destinations. The headquarters is located in Atlanta. The company serves 165 million people annually. Delta's annual turnover is $37.8 billion, net profit is $10.6 billion. The airline employs 80,000 people, including 13,000 pilots.

Delta is a co-founder of the airline passenger transportation alliance SkyTeam. In 2008, the company acquired all shares of Northwest Airlines, after which it became the largest commercial air carrier on the planet. Delta consists of regional divisions and subsidiaries, owns two international hubs and seven hubs in the United States. In Delta's history, there have been more than 20 hijacking attempts.

In 1981, the company launched its SkyMiles frequent flyer program, which was quickly hailed as the best rewards program in the business travel industry. Accrued SkyMiles will never expire under any circumstances.

5. United Airlines

The history of the airline dates back to 1926. Its first name is Boeing Air Transport. It was United Airlines that for the first time in the world began to provide passengers with meals and introduced the position of flight attendant on its aircraft. On October 11, 1933, the first terrorist attack in history was committed, the victim of which was an airplane. The Boeing 247 exploded in the sky, killing all 7 people on board.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked two of the company's planes. One of them crashed into the south tower, the second crashed in Pennsylvania. Presumably, the fall occurred due to a struggle for control of the ship.

United Airlines is headquartered in Chicago. The fleet consists of 744 aircraft, which transport passengers to 342 destinations. The main hub is O'Hare International Airport. Annual revenue is more than €38 billion.

United Airlines employs 62,000 people. Since 1981, the Mileage Plus bonus program has been in effect for regular customers. The collected miles can be used to order airline tickets, book hotel rooms, rent cars, and purchase various goods.

I am glad to welcome you to this page, where you can find out about largest airlines in the world, or rather only about the 10 largest ones. In general, I want to say that the rating of airlines is quite relative, because the situation on the passenger aviation market changes from year to year. Thus, some airlines are experiencing serious financial problems and going bankrupt, which, for example, recently happened with the Hungarian Malev or the Italian Wind Jet, while others, on the contrary, are on the rise and are only increasing their turnover over the years. Be that as it may, below you will learn about 7 largest airlines in the world, which I identified based on factors: the number of aircraft in operation, as well as air passengers transported in 2011.

1. Delta Airlines is the largest airline in the world

The first place in the ranking of the largest airlines in the world is occupied by the American airline Delta Airlines, which has been the leader in terms of the number of air passengers transported over the past few years. Delta is also the largest airline in terms of the number of aircraft it operates, of which there are as many as 722 airliners. Most of these are airliners produced by Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. Thus, Delta is the world's largest operator of American-made MD88 and MD90 aircraft. Delta Airlines operates both domestic and international flights within the United States, flying to 356 destinations on all continents, excluding Antarctica. The airline's aircraft serve more than 5,000 flights daily, and it currently employs about 75 thousand employees.

I will express my independent opinion about Delta Airlines. I have flown with this airline both international flights (from Moscow to New York) and domestic flights within the USA. I wouldn't say that I was impressed by them: firstly, Delta operates a lot of old aircraft, I noticed that they like to buy second-hand from other airlines. Secondly, I want to say a few unflattering words about the Delta Airlines terminal at New York's J. Kennedy Airport. There they have a complete mess going on, long queues, dirt, chaos, etc., the terminal simply cannot cope with the passenger flow. The good thing is that a new Delta terminal is currently being built at the airport; its construction is scheduled to be completed in 2013. I hope that then the situation will change for the better. By the way, in the photo below you can just see that the construction of a new terminal at JFK Airport is in full swing.

The American low-cost carrier has 706 airliners, ranking 2nd among all airlines in the world according to this indicator. The Southwest Airlines fleet consists exclusively of Boeing-737 aircraft of various years of production and modification, which saves significant amounts on repairs and maintenance of aircraft. This is how low-cost airlines survive. In terms of the number of air passengers carried in recent years, Southwest also shows excellent stability and occupancy of flights, being one of the largest airlines in the world. The main credo of low-cost is.

It is unlikely that anyone was surprised that the three largest airlines in the world are airlines representing the United States of America; I recently blogged about the level of development of air travel in the States. The whole world (not counting Western Europe) is as far away from American passenger aviation as the Moon, but Europeans are a little closer :-).
As for the American United Airlines, the airline is among the largest in almost all factors. And in some, it is even in the lead, for example, in the number of destinations to which flights are carried out - United Airlines has 371 of them. With 701 airliners at its disposal, United is the third largest airline in the world, second only to its direct competitors Delta and Southwest.

4. Airlines included under the wing of Lufthansa

In addition to Lufthansa itself, these include the European airlines Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Germanwings, SWISS and other smaller subsidiaries. This makes the Lufthansa Group airline alliance the largest in Europe. The main hub airports for Lufthansa and its partners are Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt am Main and Munich Airport in Munich. Lufthansa's fleet currently includes 292 aircraft, but together with partners in the Lufthansa Group, the figure increases to 636 aircraft.

In general, I want to say that I really like this airline. Firstly, thanks to the best, in my opinion, bonus program for accumulating miles: by flying with Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners, you can accumulate miles, which can be spent profitably in the future, for example, by exchanging them for a free air ticket. You can read more about the Lufthansa Miles and More bonus program. Secondly, Lufthansa, in my opinion, conducts flights more often than other European airlines, where you can buy a flight at a very cheap fare. Sales are carried out in various directions, both in Europe and, for example, in Asia, America, etc.

5. American Airlines

As you probably already guessed, American Airlines is the 5th largest airline in the world. The legendary American Airlines, founded back in 1930, has been experiencing serious financial problems in recent decades and is suffering serious losses, losing ground to its more successful competitors Delta and United. AA's fleet consists of 605 aircraft, the lion's share of which are Boeing aircraft.

6.Air France-KLM

The French-Dutch airline holding company Air France and KLM is the second largest in Europe after the Lufthansa Group. The holding was formed in 2004 after the merger of the national carriers of France and the Netherlands, and the airlines' base airports are Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. According to the latest data as of September 2012, the Air France-KLM fleet consists of 614 aircraft: these are mainly aircraft of the European concern Airbus (A319, A320) and Boeing (B737, B777). In 2011, airlines belonging to the Air France-KLM holding carried 75,780,000 air passengers, which is more than 2 times less than, for example, the world's largest airline, Delta Airlines (during the same year, 163,838,348 passengers flew with Delta).

The largest airline in Asia, Chinese China Southern Airlines, is located in 7th position in our rating. And this is not at all accidental, because the Asian market is developing very rapidly, as evidenced by statistics: passenger turnover in the region is inexorably growing from year to year. It is quite possible that in the next 10 years China Southern Airlines will break into the top five largest airlines in the world, displacing a number of European “comrades”. Currently, the Chinese air carrier flies to 121 destinations, operating 368 aircraft, mainly produced by the European concern Airbus (A319, A320, A321).

So we found out and talked about largest airlines in the world.! Come visit often, many more interesting things await you!

The list of the world's largest airlines selects the best carriers based on several parameters. The largest airline is determined by passenger turnover, fleet size, number of destinations and financial indicators.

Rating by financial indicators

In the list compiled by the authoritative publication Forbes, the American airline American Airlines Group ranks first. As of early 2017, it had revenues of more than $40 billion and profits of more than $2.5 billion. The carrier's total assets for 2016 exceeded $51 billion.

Delta Air Lines took 2nd place on the list. Its 2016 revenue was almost $40 billion and its profit was $4.4 billion. The firm's total assets in 2016 exceeded a value of $51 billion.

The German company Lufthansa is in 3rd place in the ranking. Its annual revenue is about $38 billion. The European aviation giant's net profit is $2.1 billion. The company's total capital value is $41 billion.

Fourth place was taken by another American carrier - United Continental Holdings. The airline was founded in 2010, and at the end of 2016 announced a net profit of $2.3 billion. The company had revenue of $36.5 billion and total assets of $40.1 billion.

The list of the world's largest airlines by financial indicators also includes China Southern Airlines, British Airways and Emirates. It is worth noting that the company from the UAE is in 7th place due to the exclusion of the cost of state-owned capital.

Rating of airlines by passenger turnover

The leader of this list is also the company "AA". American Airlines' passenger turnover is more than 400,000 million passenger kilometers.

Second place went to one more company from the United States of America. United Airlines is quite a bit inferior to AA. But it is worth noting the decline in passenger turnover in recent years. In 2010, it was almost 334,000 million passenger kilometers versus 216,000 million for American Airlines. Already in 2012, the passenger traffic of both airlines amounted to approximately 331,000 million passenger-kilometers, and since 2013, AA has become the leader in the rating.

In third place is Delta Air Lines with passenger traffic of more than 320,000 million passenger-kilometers.

Also included in the list of the world's largest airlines by passenger traffic are Emirates, Lufthansa and British Airways.

Ranking of airlines by fleet size

And the leader in this list was American Airlines. In total, the AA fleet numbers about 1 thousand aircraft.

Second place went to Delta Air Lines, the number of aircraft of which is about 800. United Airlines took third place with 718 aircraft.

In addition to the three large American carriers, the list included Ryanair, Lufthansa, and Air France. And again, British Airways.

Rating of airlines by number of destinations

The leadership in the list again remained with three American companies. But this time the first place was taken by Delta Air Lines, which flies to 355 destinations.

Continental Airlines took second place with a slight lag. US Airlines rounded out the top three.

The Russian Aeroflot is in 14th place. 19th place was taken by another company from the Russian Federation - Rossiya. Also in the ranking there was a place for Japan Airlines, which took 16th place, but was located above other Asian companies.

"American Airlines"

AA is the largest airline in the world. It was founded in 1930 and was called American Airways, but began its operations 4 years after its founding.

American Airlines operates passenger services within the United States, Latin America, Canada, Europe, as well as Japan, India and the People's Republic of China.

American Airlines hubs are located in Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Washington and New York.

AA staff numbers more than 120 thousand workers. More than 7 thousand flights are carried out daily.

Delta Airlines

American airlines are world leaders in all indicators, from the number of passengers to net profit. One such carrier is Delta Air Lines. The airline was founded in 1924 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hub airports are in Cincinnati, New York, Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Tokyo, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Paris and Amsterdam. The company employs more than 80 thousand employees.

In 2008, Delta bought 100% of the shares of Northwestern Airlines. The merger was officially formalized in early 2010. After this, Delta Air Lines became the largest commercial airline in the world.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa is the flagship airline of Germany and the largest in Europe. It includes Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Airlines.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG has hubs in Munich and Frankfurt am Main. The airline was founded in 1936 and began operations in 1955. Lufthansa has more than 100 thousand employees

"British Airways"

British Airways is the national carrier of the United Kingdom and one of the largest airlines in Europe.

British Airways was created in 1974. The parent company is IAG. The hubs are located in London. These are Heathrow and Gatwick airports, which are the largest in the world.

Emirates

Emirates is one of the largest airlines in the world. The headquarters is located in Dubai. The company was founded in 1985. Main destinations: Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, USA and England.

The purpose of creating Emirates was to develop the state's infrastructure, as well as to attract tourists to the UAE. In 2010, the company was the largest air carrier.

Ryanair

Irish airline Ryanair is one of the largest low-cost airlines. It was founded in 1984. The fleet size is about 400 aircraft. Rainair's hub is Dublin Airport.

In September 2017, the European Commission began an investigation into the cancellation of more than two thousand flights. According to experts, the reason was mass layoffs. Because of this, Ryanair canceled up to 50 flights every day.

Brussels said European passengers whose flights were canceled are entitled to compensation of between 250 and 400 euros. The head of the low-cost airline said that the company's losses due to compensation would amount to about 25 million euros. Experts talk about the amount of 35 million euros.

The company also said that customers will be offered alternative flights, or the money spent on the ticket will be refunded.

Rainair operates passenger services in 34 countries. There are more than 1,800 flights per day.

"Japan Airlines"

Japan Airlines is the largest Japanese airline and one of the largest in Asia. The main hub airports are located in Tokyo. There are also two additional hubs in Osaka. The headquarters is based in the Shinagawa province of Tokyo.

The airline was created in the early 50s of the last century, when the Japanese authorities decided to found a state-owned airline. The first flight was carried out in 1954 in the USA.

As of June 2017, Japan Airlines had a fleet of 160 aircraft. Their average age was almost 9 years. Starting in 2010, the airline retired all older aircraft, including the forty-year-old Boeing 747s.

Japan Airlines is a member of the Onewolrd alliance, which also includes world leaders in passenger air transportation: American Airlines, British Airways, Air New Zealand, Air France, Singapore Airlines and others.

Aeroflot

The company was founded in 1923. At the moment, it is the largest airline in the Russian Federation. The hub airport is located in Moscow and is called Sheremetyevo. The fleet size is 193 aircraft.

Initially, Aeroflot was a completely state-owned company. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the enterprise was partially privatized. Still, 51% of the shares belong to the government of the Russian Federation.

The subsidiaries Aurora, Rossiya and Pobeda, together with Aeroflot, form a holding company called Aeroflot Group. In 2016, the carrier was the first among all Russian airlines to receive 4 stars from the reputable consulting firm Skytrax for quality of service.

Traveling is always an anticipation of something new, unforgettable. And for everything to go great from start to finish, all the details should be thought through. The most popular type of transport for traveling abroad is an airplane. Therefore, it is better to study the capabilities of certain airlines in advance. What are the most? A list of them with a description will be presented in descending order.

Delta Airlines is the world leader in passenger transportation

By any measure, Delta is the largest airline in the world. It has more than 1,300 aircraft in its arsenal. The airline has its own route network in 356 destinations and flies to 65 countries. At the beginning of its existence (founded May 30, 1924), the company was called Huff Daland Dusters. Back then, its planes were used to spray pesticides over cotton fields in the southern United States. In 1928, the airline was renamed Delta Air Service. And already in 1929, the first passenger plane was sent from Dallas to Jackson.

Today, the largest airline in the world, Delta Airlines, is the undisputed leader in the number of passenger traffic, as well as in the number of passenger aircraft in operation, the main manufacturers of which are Boeing and Airbus. About 5,000 flights are carried out daily. The company has 75 thousand qualified employees.

American Airlines USA

Despite the financial difficulties that the company experienced in the recent past, it is still among the TOP of the largest airlines in the world. The company employs more than 100 thousand people. About 7,000 flights are operated daily to route destinations in 350 cities. The airline operates flights to 56 countries. American Airlines and 5 other passenger transportation leaders form the Oneworld alliance.

The carrier's fleet includes 125 Airbus A319-100 aircraft, 55 Airbus A320-200 aircraft, 178 Airbus A321-200 aircraft, 15 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 9 Airbus A330- 300", 266 Boeing 737s, 64 Boeing 757s, 46 Boeing 767s, 67 Boeing 777s, 45 MD-82 aircraft and 52 MD-83 aircraft.

Southwest Airlines USA

Southwest Airlines is the all-time leader in the number of passengers carried. This is the largest low-cost airline in the world. The company's fleet includes an impressive number of Boeing 737 aircraft and carries out more than 3,000 flights per day. Southwest Airlines planes primarily fly between Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston, Orlando and Phoenix. The main advantage is that flight prices are relatively low, but the quality is high. Cheap flights throughout the USA is the motto of Southwest Airlines.

Emirates Airlines is the UAE's transportation monopolist

This is a state-owned company whose base is located on the territory of Abu Dhabi International Airport. The development of Emirates Airlines began with the lease of two airliners in 1985. Over the course of three years, the airline's profits began to increase rapidly, which made it possible to quickly develop its route network and equip its fleet with the most modern vessels. Today the company's route network includes 450 cities in 60 countries.

The company's fleet consists of 230 Airbus A330, A340, A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

United Airlines USA

It is the largest airline in the world by number of aircraft. It has 695 airliners at its disposal, which regularly operate international passenger flights. The company has 569 aircraft to operate domestic flights. The airline's route network connects the countries of Western Europe, Africa and Australia. United Airlines has bases in Chicago, San Francisco, Guam, Tokyo, Denver, Los Angeles and Washington. The company's fleet is based on Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft. There are also Airbus-type airliners. The most popular flights are to major cities in China and Hawaii. Russia and Eastern Europe are not included in the list of countries served.

Lufthansa is Europe's largest airline

The European airline began its existence back in 1926. However, it was only in the 60s that it began to gain momentum and became one of the largest among air carriers.

Today the airline, together with a number of European carriers, forms the Lufthansa Group. The company's main hubs are located in Germany. The Lufthansa Group fleet consists of 636 aircraft. For passengers, this is one of the most profitable airlines. Its partners can participate in generous bonus programs. The company also constantly holds promotions and ticket sales in various areas.

Air France

This is an entire holding that unites a number of French and Dutch airlines. In 2004, the national carriers of the Netherlands and France merged to form Air France. The company's hubs are located in Charles de Gaulle and Sripol). Today Air France operates 614 aircraft. The basis is made up of Boeing and Airbus airliners.

For those who care about the environment, this carrier is best suited as the company's aircraft tanks are half filled with biofuel. Air France's route network includes 243 destinations and serves 103 countries.

British Airways

British Airways is the UK's largest carrier, based at Heathrow Airport in London. Currently, the company's fleet consists of 400 aircraft. The annual turnover of passenger traffic is 62 million passengers per year. The route network includes more than 200 destinations.

The airline has its own bonus system, which is used by regular customers. Each flight entitles you to receive miles and points, which can then be exchanged for air tickets.

This is not a complete list of the largest airlines. Each country has its own air transportation leaders. However, not all of them are international. In addition, this list may change every year, as some companies may develop, while others suffer some difficulties and lose their leading positions. Therefore, it is not so easy to say which is the largest airline in the world. The analysis covers many indicators, such as the number of aircraft, annual traffic volume, availability of service centers, etc. However, for passengers, in addition to this information, the reliability of the company, as well as various bonus programs, are important. In any case, it is better to fly with trusted airlines, even if the cost of their tickets will be much more expensive. It's not worth saving on your life. It is better to buy tickets in advance, but from reliable carriers. Moreover, almost all of the above airlines regularly conduct bonus programs and promotions.

: This is a UK-based consulting company that studies the quality of airline and airport services. The company annually compiles a ranking of the top 100 airlines around the world, and being ranked number one is like winning the Oscars in the world of air travel. The rating is based on a survey of passengers: it contains 50 points about all the details of the flight - from the convenience of the website and queues at the airport to the comfort of the seats, cleanliness and temperature on board the plane. 20 million people of 105 different nationalities left their reviews, who expressed their opinions about 325 different airlines - so we think the result can be considered quite reliable.

On 20 June 2017, Skytrax announced the results: Qatar Airways was this year's best airline, winning the award for the fourth time. The airline's triumph did not end there: they also became the best air carrier in the Middle East. They also officially have the world's best business class and first class lounge. Second place goes to Singapore Airlines, they are also the best airline in Asia. The top twenty best airlines in the world include Lufthansa, Austrian and Air France. Garuda Indonesia turned out to be the best. In a separate rating for European airlines, Lufthansa is in first place (Russian Aeroflot is in the top ten), and the best European low-cost airline is Norwegian. You can study the entire rating based on all criteria in detail.

By the way, there is alsoairport rating : you can explore where it’s worth coming, even if you don’t need anything in the nearest city, or, conversely,