Largest airlines in the world

As of 2024[update], United Airlines was the largest in terms of available seat miles (ASM),[1] revenue seat miles (RPM),[2] mainline fleet size[3] and number of destinations served;[4] Delta Air Lines was the most valuable by revenue, assets, market capitalization, and brand value; American Airlines Group carries the most passengers and has the most employees; FedEx Express by freight tonne-kilometers; Southwest Airlines by number of routes; and Turkish Airlines by countries served.

Emirates and Qatar Airways, being state-owned and privately held respectively, are not included in this list.

Emirates and Qatar Airways also feature prominently in terms of brand value.

American Airlines Group carried the most passengers in 2021, followed by Delta Air Lines and Ryanair.

United Airlines, Lufthansa, and Southwest Airlines also rank highly in passenger numbers, highlighting the dominance of US and European carriers in flight volume.

Delta Air Lines ranks first by revenue , total assets , market capitalization and brand value .
American Airlines Group ranks first by number of employees and passengers carried.
American Airlines and United Express aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport
FedEx Express is the largest by freight tonne-kilometers .
United Airlines operates the largest number of aircraft, as of February 2025.
China National Aviation Holdings Air China Group has the world's most valuable fleet, despite owning fewer aircraft than Delta Air Lines, Inc. or American Airlines Group , which co-lead by numbers.
American Airlines leads by capacity to carry passengers.
Turkish Airlines serves the largest number of countries, as of February 2024.
United Airlines serves the largest number of destinations, as of February 2024.
Southwest Airlines serves the largest number of routes, as of February 2024.