In this article, we reveal the top 20 largest airlines globally in Q3 2024, based on Available Seat Miles (ASMs), number of flights, and seats offered. This article also highlights the largest transatlantic and transpacific airlines.

Note that the airlines are ranked using Available Seat Miles (ASMs) as the primary metric, according to data from CIRIUM. ASMs offer a comprehensive picture of an airline’s capacity, considering both the number of seats and the distance they can travel.

Top 20 Global Airlines

As of Q3 2024, United Airlines leads the global airline industry with 78.6 billion ASMs, 254,094 flights, and over 44.5 million seats. Delta Air Lines follows behind with 73.5 billion ASMs, and American Airlines ranks third with 68.5 billion ASMs and the highest number of flights at 308,712.

Emirates stands out as the largest non-US airline in the fourth position, whereas Southwest Airlines with its extensive domestic network, ranks fifth globally and offers the highest number of seats at 58.3 million.

S. No. Airlines ASMs Flights Seats
1 United Airlines 78,636,947,978 254,094 44,534,835
2 Delta Air Lines 73,533,529,763 305,238 52,588,227
3 American Airlines 68,453,821,779 308,712 53,585,552
4 Emirates 56,539,768,170 44,029 18,195,314
5 Southwest Airlines 45,449,670,492 365,982 58,295,522
6 China Southern Airlines 42,847,794,806 231,831 41,435,704
7 Turkish Airlines 41,375,082,264 132,744 26,884,253
8 Qatar Airways 40,606,660,182 50,421 13,775,272
9 China Eastern Airlines 38,089,290,551 233,835 39,574,622
10 Air China 34,497,508,403 154,438 29,015,391
11 British Airways 27,977,152,895 66,207 13,484,383
12 Lufthansa 27,892,626,577 86,488 17,152,811
13 Air France 27,553,741,281 57,018 11,810,204
14 Ryanair 26,439,365,722 165,798 31,774,847
15 Air Canada 25,405,289,228 48,989 10,066,767
16 EasyJet 24,319,044,158 170,914 30,747,891
17 IndiGo 21,741,337,528 179,552 32,190,652
18 Singapore Airlines 21,707,704,831 29,328 7,767,473
19 Cathay Pacific 17,899,518,319 25,556 7,650,761
20 Alaska Airlines 17,499,990,461 71,944 12,181,782

United 777
United Airlines Boeing 777

Largest Transpacific Airlines

On transpacific routes, United Airlines maintains its dominance with over 10.4 billion ASMs, far ahead of the competition. Korean Air and EVA Air make it into the top three with over 5 billion ASMs each.

Moreover,  Delta Air Lines and Cathay Pacific round out the top five, emphasizing their strong presence in the transpacific market.

S. No. Airlines ASMs Flights Seats
1 United Airlines 10,413,262,590 7,461 1,894,344
2 Korean Air 5,731,277,239 3,049 961,179
3 EVA Air 5,174,376,742 2,268 754,210
4 Delta Air Lines 5,033,341,514 2,788 808,906
5 Cathay Pacific 4,973,075,804 2,072 662,948
6 Air Canada 4,653,889,502 2,274 743,655
7 ANA 4,058,339,074 3,128 770,736
8 JAL 3,666,903,669 3,240 710,879
9 Asiana Airlines 2,686,626,750 1,248 452,806
10 Qantas 2,614,709,400 1,206 343,383
11 Philippine Airlines 2,594,326,355 1,202 397,139
12 American Airlines 2,461,844,744 1,472 373,888
13 Singapore Airlines 2,342,553,036 1,286 286,350
14 China Airlines 2,306,111,428 1,035 347,234
15 Air New Zealand 1,810,710,400 840 267,440
16 Hawaiian Airlines 1,253,723,860 1,102 304,042
17 Zipair Tokyo 1,078,244,360 750 217,500
18 Air China 849,961,806 368 130,162
19 Starlux Airlines 821,387,232 408 124,848
20 China Southern Airlines 783,551,800 315 108,566

a blue airplane in the sky
Korean Air A380

Largest Transatlantic Airlines

In the transatlantic market, United Airlines leads again with over 19 billion ASMs, followed closely by Delta Air Lines with 18.8 billion ASMs. Even though United operates the largest number of flights (18,266), Delta offers the largest number of seats at 4,417,597. American Airlines ranks third with 13.7 billion ASMs.

Moreover, European carriers led by British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa round off the top six largest transatlantic airlines. Beyond the top six, Air Canada is the leading North American carrier outside the US, ranked seventh.

S. No. Airlines ASMs Flights Seats
1 United Airlines 19,082,502,081 18,266 4,330,704
2 Delta Air Lines 18,771,988,874 17,350 4,417,597
3 American Airlines 13,701,701,069 11,765 3,187,946
4 British Airways 12,981,782,748 10,135 2,957,622
5 Air France 12,444,752,378 8,538 2,713,040
6 Lufthansa 12,202,836,753 7,689 2,544,097
7 Air Canada 10,468,628,810 8,556 2,721,836
8 Turkish Airlines 9,708,199,778 5,215 1,666,451
9 Iberia 9,399,880,042 5,764 1,805,062
10 KLM 6,843,248,313 4,468 1,406,930
11 Virgin Atlantic 6,103,799,285 4,938 1,444,331
12 TAP Air Portugal 5,050,047,112 5,111 1,234,536
13 Air Transat 4,681,590,966 4,715 1,261,467
14 ITA Airways 3,895,613,439 2,600 737,813
15 Aer Lingus 3,702,537,365 3,874 1,013,088
16 Air Europa 3,365,521,994 1,971 630,274
17 Swiss 3,216,528,120 2,676 706,296
18 Condor 3,023,257,640 2,042 633,020
19 LATAM Airlines Brasil 2,824,535,674 1,472 509,532
20 Aeromexico 2,584,060,511 1,707 451,877

a man standing next to a large airplane
British Airways A350-1000

Source: CIRIUM Diio

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