World's largest airlines

There are several methods to measure the size of an airline, so several different lists of the world's largest airlines are available.

Contents

Scheduled passengers carried

Rank Airline 2010 2009 2008 2007[1] 2006[2] 2005
1 Delta Air Lines1 162,614,714 161,049,000 106,070,000 72,900,000 73,584,000 86,007,000 [3]
2 United Airlines2 145,550,000 81,421,000 86,412,000 68,400,000 69,265,000 66,717,000 [4]
3 Southwest Airlines3 130,948,747 101,339,000 101,921,000 101,911,000 96,277,000 88,380,000 [5]
4 American Airlines4 105,163,576 85,719,000 92,772,000 98,162,000 99,835,000 98,038,000 [6]
5 Lufthansa5 90,173,000 76,543,000 70,543,000 66,100,000 53,400,000 51,300,000 [7]
6 China Southern Airlines 76,500,000 66,280,000 57,961,000 56,900,000 48,512,000 43,228,000 [8]
7 Ryanair6 71,250,000 - - - - - [9]
8 Air France-KLM7 70,750,000 71,394,000 73,844,000 74,795,000 73,484,000 70,015,000 [10]
9 China Eastern Airlines 64,877,800 44,042,990 37,231,480 39,161,400 35,039,700 24,290,500 [11]
10 US Airways 59,809,367 58,921,521 62,659,842 66,056,374 66,102,774 71,580,012 [12]
Notes

By scheduled passenger-kilometers

Scheduled passenger-kilometer flown

Rank Airline 2009
(millions)[13]		 2008
(millions)		 2007
(millions)
1 American Airlines 196,939 242,987 231,330
2 Delta Air Lines1 161,904 199,895 178,952
3 United Airlines2 161,436 204,706 197,684
4 Air France 126,415 129,433 123,458
5 Continental Airlines 125,048 149,845 137,712
6 Lufthansa3 123,083 126,267 122,672
7 Emirates 118,284 100,672 90,530
8 British Airways 111,995 114,608 113,275
9 Northwest Airlines 100,152 126,212 116,845
10 Qantas 97,488
Notes

Scheduled international passenger-kilometers flown

Rank Airline 2010 (millions) 2009[13]
(millions)		 2008
(millions)
1 Emirates 143,660 118,284 100,672
2 Lufthansa1 124,614 118,264
3 Delta Air Lines 119,055 70,725
4 Air France2 115,837 116,711
5 British Airways 103,095 109,402 113,075
6 Cathay Pacific4 87,332 81,086 83,542
7 Singapore Airlines3 84,911 81,552 93,626
8 Ryanair 81,890
9 American Airlines 80,531 76,301 80,809
10 KLM 73,472 71,972
Notes

Scheduled domestic passenger-kilometers flown

Rank Airline 2009
(millions)[13]		 2008
(millions)[13]		 2007
(millions)
1 American Airlines 120,638 131,178 141,437
2 United Airlines 93,362 102,779 114,224
3 Delta Air Lines 91,179 97,923 103,008
4 China Southern Airlines1 81,850 71,584 69,367
5 US Airways 71,266 77,054 52,018
6 Continental Airlines 66,409 69,814 74,126
7 Northwest Airlines 55,589 58,501 63,872
8 Air China 46,159 38,761
9 China Eastern Airlines 43,922
10 Qantas 35,784
Notes

By scheduled freight

Scheduled freight tonne-kilometres flown

Rank Airline 2010
(millions)		 2009
(millions)		 2008
(millions)[15]		 2007
(millions)[15]		 2006
(millions)		 2005
(millions)
1 FedEx Express TBA 13,756 26,122 19,710 16,145 12,408
2 Cathay Pacific Cargo 10,200 7,722 8,245 8,225 6,914 6,458
3 UPS Airlines TBA 9,189 16,977 13,968 9,941 9,075
4 Korean Air Cargo 9,700 8,284 8,890 9,568 8,764 8,072
5 Lufthansa Cargo1 8,905 6,668 8,206 8,348 8,091 7,680
6 Singapore Airlines Cargo2 6,455 7,486 7,945 7,991 7,603
7 Emirates SkyCargo 6,369 5,313 5,497
8 China Airlines 4,903 5,261 6,301 6,099 6,037
9 Air France Cargo3 4,675 4,675 6,820 6,126 5,868
10 Cargolux 4,652 6,334 5,482 5,237 5,149
Notes

Scheduled international freight tonne-kilometres flown

Rank Airline 2010
(millions)		 2009
(millions)		 2008
(millions)[15]		 2007
(millions)		 2006
(millions)
1 Cathay Pacific1 9,587 7,722 8,245 8,225 6,914
2 Korean Air Cargo 9,487 8,225 8,822 9,498 8,680
3 Emirates SkyCargo 7,913 6,369 6,013 5,497 5,027
4 Lufthansa Cargo2 7,422 6,660 8,194 8,336 8,077
5 FedEx Express 7,421 5,808 6,582 6,470 6,136
6 Singapore Airlines Cargo3 7,001 6,455 7,486 7,945 7,991
7 China Airlines 6,410 4,903 5,261 6,301 6,099
8 UPS Airlines 5,215 4,495 5,289 5,077
9 Eva Air 5,166 - - - -
10 Cargolux 4,901 4,652 5,334 5,482 5,237
Notes

Scheduled Total (International + domestic) freight tonne-kilometres flown

Rank Airline 2010
(millions)		 2009
(millions)[15]
1 FedEx Express 15,743
2 UPS Airlines 10,194
3 Cathay Pacific1 9,587
4 Korean Air1 9,542
5 Emirates1 7,913
6 Lufthansa1 7,423
7 Singapore Airlines Cargo1 7,001
8 China Airlines 6,410
9 Cargolux 5,166
10 EVA Air 4,901
Notes

By fleet size

Passenger airlines

Updated as of March 11, 2011

Rank Airline Fleet size Orders Notes
1 Delta Air Lines 744 121 Mar 11 2011 [16]
2 SkyWest, Inc.3 727 74 Oct 11 2011 [17]
3 United Airlines1 712 116 Mar 11 2011 [18]
4 Lufthansa Group 710 155 Mar 11 2011 [19]
5 Southwest Airlines2 705 198 Nov 28 2011 [20]
6 American Airlines 624 571 Jul 20 2011 [21]
7 Air France-KLM 616 80 Sept 12 2011 [22]
8 International Airlines (British Airways + Iberia) 487 134 Apr 2011 [23]
9 China Southern Airlines 345 35 Mar 11 2011 [24]
10 US Airways 341 133 Mar 11 2011 [25]
11 Ryanair 306 0 Mar 11 2011 [26]
Notes

Cargo airlines

Updated as of November 10, 2010

Rank Airline Fleet size Orders Notes
1 FedEx Express 697 [27] 48 orders
2 UPS Airlines 214 [28] 19 orders
3 DHL Aviation 75 13 orders
4 TNT Airways 50 2 orders
5 Korean Air Cargo 24 12 orders
6 Cathay Pacific Cargo 24 10 orders
7 China Airlines Cargo 19 0 orders
8 Lufthansa Cargo 18 5 orders
9 EVA Air Cargo 18 0 orders
10 Cargolux 16 11 orders

By number of destinations

Current number of destinations

This list comprises the airlines with over 100 destinations. These destinations include subsidiaries airlines of each company, but exclude codeshare agreements.

Rank Airline Country Destinations
1 United Airlines United States 371 [29]
2 Delta Air Lines United States 356 [30]
3 Air France-KLM France, Netherlands 254 [31]
4 American Airlines United States 250
5 Lufthansa Germany 221
6 Turkish Airlines Turkey 190 [32]
7 Air China China 185
8 Qantas Australia 182[33]
9 Air Canada Canada 178[34]
10 British Airways UK 169
11 Ryanair Ireland 165
12 SkyWest Airlines United States 163
13 American Eagle Airlines United States 160
14 Air Berlin Germany 154
15 US Airways United States 141
16 China Eastern Airlines China 140
17 KLM Netherlands 125
18 EasyJet United Kingdom 123
19 China Southern Airlines China 121
20 Iberia Spain 120
21 Austrian Airlines Austria 117
22 SAS Denmark, Norway, Sweden 116
23 Korean Air South Korea 116
24 Emirates Airline United Arab Emirates 111
25 China Eastern Airlines China 110
26 Southwest Airlines1 United States 110
27 Avianca Colombia 109
28 Japan Airlines Japan 103
29 Asiana Airlines Korea 100
30 Qatar Airways Qatar 100
Notes

By region

Scheduled passengers carried

Continent/
region		 Airline Passengers carried Full list
Africa EgyptAir 8,400,000 (2009)[35] List of largest airlines in Africa
Asia China Southern Airlines 76,455,100 (2010)[36] List of largest airlines in Asia
Europe Lufthansa 90,173,000 (2010)[37] List of largest airlines in Europe
North America Delta Air Lines 162,614,714 (2010) List of largest airlines in North America
Oceania Qantas Group 43,336,000 (2010)[38] List of largest airlines in Oceania
South America TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aéreas) 34,553,000 (2010)[39] List of largest airlines in South America

See also

References

  1. ^ "WATS Scheduled Passengers Carried 52nd Edition". International Air Transport Association. 2007. http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/wats-passenger-carried.htm. 
  2. ^ "WATS Scheduled Passengers Carried (dead link)". International Air Transport Association. 2006. http://www.iata.org/pressroom/wats/wats_passengers_carried.htm. 
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ "United Continental Holdings, Inc. - Investor Relations - Investor Relations". Ir.united.com. http://ir.united.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-IRHome. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  5. ^ "Southwest Airlines - Fact Sheet". Southwest.com. http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/history/fact-sheet.html. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  6. ^ American Airlines Reports December Traffic
  7. ^ Lufthansa Investor Relations Verkehrszahlen
  8. ^ China Southern airline reports record flight safety
  9. ^ Ryanair’s December Traffic Grows 2%
  10. ^ Informations financières Air France-KLM
  11. ^ China Eastern Airlines - Investor Relations
  12. ^ "2011 press releases". US Airways. http://www.usairways.com/en-US/aboutus/pressroom/pressreleases.html. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  13. ^ a b c d "WATS Scheduled Passenger - Kilometers Flown". International Air Transport Association. 2007. http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/wats-passenger-km.htm. 
  14. ^ "Ryanair's Traffic Grows 12% in December". Ryanair.com. 2006-11-06. http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryanair-s-traffic-grows-12-percent-in-december. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  15. ^ a b c d "WATS Scheduled Freight Tonne - Kilometres". International Air Transport Association. 2007. http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/wats-freight-km.htm. 
  16. ^ "Delta Air Lines - Details and Fleet History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/Delta-Air-Lines. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  17. ^ "SkyWest, Inc. Reports Combined Oct. Traffic". http://www.skywestonline.com/SKYW/CMS/DocumentRepository%5COCT2011Traffic.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  18. ^ "United Airlines - Details and Fleet History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/United-Airlines. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  19. ^ "Lufthansa - Flotte". Investor-relations.lufthansa.com. 2010-12-31. http://investor-relations.lufthansa.com/de/fakten-zum-unternehmen/flotte.html. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  20. ^ "Southwest Airlines - Details and Fleet History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/Southwest-Airlines. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  21. ^ "American Airlines - Details and Fleet History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/American-Airlines. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  22. ^ Air France-KLM#Fleet
  23. ^ International Airlines Group
  24. ^ "China Southern Airlines - Details and Fleet History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/China-Southern-Airlines. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  25. ^ "US Airways - Details and Fleet History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/US-Airways. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  26. ^ "jethros.eu". jethros.eu. http://jethros.eu/fleets/fleet_listings/ryanair.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  27. ^ "Express Facts". http://about.fedex.designcdt.com/our_company/company_information/fedex_corporation. 
  28. ^ "UPS:Worldwide". http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/about/facts/worldwide.html. 
  29. ^ URL: http://ir.united.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-homeprofile Title: United Airlines Company Information
  30. ^ URL: http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/index.jsp Title: Delta Stats and Facts
  31. ^ URL: http://www.airfranceklm.com/en/group/at-a-glance/
  32. ^ URL: http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-INT/press-releases/8716/turkish-airlines-launches-nonstop-flights-between-istanbul-and-turin-its-7th-destination-in-italy.aspx Archived 10 August 2011 at WebCite
  33. ^ http://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/FactFiles.pdf
  34. ^ http://services.aircanada.com/portal/rest/timetable/pdf?locale=en
  35. ^ [2] at Star Alliance
  36. ^ China Southern 2008 statistics
  37. ^ http://investor-relations.lufthansa.com/fileadmin/downloads/de/finanzberichte/verkehrszahlen/lufthansa/2010/LH-Investor-Info-2010-12-d.pdf
  38. ^ Qantas Annual Report 2007
  39. ^ TAM Annual Report 2006

Sources

Aviation statistics
Airports worldwide
Airports by country
China (PRC)
Turkey
Ireland / UK
South Korea
Airlines
Airport systems
Busiest passenger air routes