Summary

  • European flag carriers have evolved from state-owned to profit-earning corporations with dozens of international connections.
  • Some smaller flag carriers focus on regional operations, while others serve to send messages of national unity.
  • Examples include TAROM (Romania), Atlantic Airways (Faroe Islands), and Luxair (Luxembourg).

Flag carriers, of which there are dozens across Europe, are typically large, state-owned airlines that are among the world’s most well-known and operate hundreds of aircraft. These airlines typically connect hundreds of destinations across the globe, with examples including major carriers like British Airways, Air France, Turkish Airlines, and Lufthansa.

As a result, most modern flag carriers have evolved far beyond state-owned companies that primarily serve the essential purpose of bringing air travel to a nation’s cities into fully-fledged profit-earning corporations. Several smaller flag carriers across the continent remain smaller in scope and closer to the more traditional definition of a flag carrier.

Some of these European airlines serve to provide essential air service between their nation and their neighbors, while others are international symbols meant to send a political message through continued operations. In this article, we will look deeper at five European flag carriers you may not have heard of and their unique purpose.

1

TAROM

Nation: Romania

Category:

TAROM specification:

Commenced operations:

1954

Fleet size:

18

Destinations:

28

TAROM is the flag carrier and the oldest airline currently operating near Romania. It is headquartered at Bucharest’s Henry Coanda International Airport (OTP). The carrier, which serves dozens of destinations across Europe, is today the largest airline operating in Romania as measured by international destinations and is the second-largest in terms of its fleet size and the number of passengers carried.

TAROM Boeing 737s

Photo: LCV | Shutterstock

TAROM is owned almost entirely by the Romanian Government’s Ministry of Transport, which owns over 97% of the company’s shares. The carrier, which has over two million annual passengers, joined the SkyTeam alliance in June 2010 and is a codeshare partner for several other European airlines.

The carrier’s reach used to be far more extensive than it is today. TAROM used to operate flights to destinations as far away as New York and Chicago. Today, TAROM primarily connects Bucharest to many major European cities and a handful of domestic destinations.

2

Atlantic Airways

Nation: Faroe Islands (Denmark)

Category:

Atlantic Airways specification:

Commenced operations:

1987

Fleet size:

4

Destinations:

12

If you are familiar with Atlantic Airways, the Danish-held Faroe Islands national airline, you have likely visited the small archipelago. The airline’s operations are extremely limited in scope, with just a handful of international destinations, all of which are served from its hub at Vagar Airport (FAE).

Atlantic_Airways_A319_OY-RCG

Today, the carrier operates dozens of domestic helicopter services and performs search and rescue operations around the small island chain. Interestingly, the airline is one of just a few long-haul international carriers flying to New York’s Stewart International Airport (SWF).

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3

Aurigny

Nation: Guernsey (United Kingdom)

Category:

Aurigny specification:

Commenced operations:

1968

Fleet size:

7

Destinations:

18

Aurigny is the flag carrier of the British-held island of Guernsey which is located within the Channel Islands archipelago. The airline, which has been fully owned by the State of Guernsey since a nationalization process that took place in 2003, operates a variety of regional services.

G-JOEY

The carrier operates regular passenger and cargo flights across the Channel Islands and to international and domestic destinations in France, Ireland, and other cities within the United Kingdom from a primary hub at Guernsey Airport (GCI). According to BBC News, the airline was one of the final commercial operators of the Britten-Norman Islander, which it began retiring in 2014.

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4

Luxair

Nation: Luxembourg

Category:

Luxair specification:

Commenced operations:

1962

Fleet size:

21

Destinations:

85

The national airline of small Luxembourg, a tiny banking hub nestled between France, Belgium, and Germany, likely punches far above its weight. With a modern jet and turboprop aircraft fleet, the carrier operates scheduled services to destinations across Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

A Luxair Embraer ERJ-145 on the taxiway In Frankfurt.

Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock

While the nation has several cargo operators, including logistics giant Cargolux, Luxair is the only passenger-carrying airline registered in the tiny country that offers scheduled passenger flights. While the airline’s list of destinations once included transatlantic hubs like New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the carrier’s current route network focuses more on Europe and adjacent regions.

Related

The Luxair Fleet In 2023

This carrier’s fleet is currently undergoing a modernization process.

According to the company’s website, the airline is controlled by a handful of state-owned holding companies and the national government, which holds a nearly 40% share. European aviation giant Lufthansa used to maintain a position in the airline’s ownership; however, it has since sold all of its shares. The airline, however, still utilizes Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program.

5

Air Montenegro

Nation: Montenegro

Category:

Air Montenegro specification:

Commenced operations:

2021

Fleet size:

3

Destinations:

13

The current flag carrier of the Balkan nation Montenegro, Air Montenegro, is the youngest carrier to make the list and is among the many state-owned carriers on the continent. This new company was launched in early 2021 and aims to pursue a growth and expansion strategy similar to that of its predecessor, Montenegro Airlines.

Air_Montenegro_E195LR_4O-AOA_landing_at_ERF

The carrier, based at Podgorica Airport (TGD), operates a small fleet comprising two Embraer E195 and a singular Airbus A320. From its hub, the airline operates flights across Europe to destinations such as Istanbul and Paris, with some seasonal charter services reaching cities like Tel Aviv and Cairo.

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