THE 10 LARGEST AIRLINES OF THE WORLD

In an increasingly globalized world, airlines and airplanes are the key modes of transport that connect the people from different corners of the world with each other. It comes as no surprise then that these airlines engage in intense competition with each other, making sure that they dominate the market in not just their own regions, but worldwide. The more connections an airline has, the greater its domination over the world market, and in order to gain that, they need to keep expanding their fleet size. Some of the largest airlines hail from the Asia-Pacific region, which is said to be the biggest buyer of these aircrafts in the world.

1. Delta Air Line:
Fleet Size – 1,280
Delta Air Lines has connections in all continents except Antarctica and is the largest operating airline in the world. With its headquarters in Atlanta, it has over 4,000 flights per day.

2. United Airlines:
Fleet size: 1,264
The airline operates in over 170 countries, with more than 1,000 destinations for its passengers to travel to.

3. American Airlines:
Fleet size: 873
American Airlines operates as a local and international network and is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation, operating in Asia and the Pacific, North and South American, the Caribbean and Europe.

4. Southwest Airlines:
Fleet size: 683
Operating more than 3,400 flights per day, the Southwest Airlines has increased its revenue and passenger destinations by making acquisitions of other airlines over the years.

5. US Airways:
Fleet size: 621
US Airways are not only one of the largest airlines in terms of fleets and air traffic in the world but also one of the largest by market share in the United States.

6. China Southern Airlines:
Fleet size: 423
China Southern Airlines has its headquarters in the Baiyun District of Guangzhou Province, with the global hub at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and the Beijing Capital International Airport. In terms of fleet size, it is the largest airline in Asia, flying to 193 destinations worldwide, and is a member of SkyTeam.

7. Lufthansa:
Fleet size: 401
Lufthansa German Airlines is Germany’s flag carrier, also called Deutsche Lufthansa AG. It’s not only largest in Germany, but also the largest airline, in terms of fleet size, in all of Europe. With its headquarters in Cologne, its hub of operations is at the Frankfurt Airport. It has connections in over 78 countries with 197 destinations.

8. Air France:
Fleet size: 381
The formal name Air France is Society Air France and is the flag carrier of France. Air France has its headquarters, as well as its hub, in Paris at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. With 35 local destinations, it also flies to over 160 destinations worldwide in 93 countries.

9. Air Canada:
Fleet size: 354
Canada’s largest airline and its flag carrier, the airline changed to its current name in 1965. It has its headquarters in Montreal whereas the largest hub for the airlines is the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario.

10. China Eastern Airline:
Fleet size: 349
Owned by China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited, the airline has its headquarters in Shanghai at the Hongqiao International Airport. The airline operates locally, regionally as well as internationally. It’s one of the largest airlines operated by China and became a member of SkyTeam which is a global alliance of the top-most airlines, with over 1000 destinations worldwide.