Airlines can be ranked in various ways
. They can be ranked by the number of aircraft in service, the number of passengers it carries in a given period, network size, or the revenue the airline generates. This list ranks airlines by airline capacity—a criterion that still places the big four US airlines as the world’s largest airlines
. It turns out that the largest airlines by capacity are a mix of full-service and low-cost airlines
(

Southwest is notable for being essentially a domestic carrier
). Here are the ten largest airlines based on airline capacity according to data from ch-aviation.

10

Lufthansa

Lufthansa has a capacity of 91,874

Total fleet:

306

Aircraft on order:

160

Country:

Germany

Lufthansa
is the flag carrier of Germany, and it is the second largest airline in Europe by number of passengers carried (when combined with its subsidiaries). It is also the largest airline in Europe by revenue. Lufthansa has a fleet of 306 aircraft, with another 160 on order. The average age of the aircraft is 14.0 years, while the airline has a capacity of 91,874.

171224_Lufthansa_Flotte_Parken_Xmas_2

Photo: Oliver Roesler | Lufthansa

Lufthansa was founded in 1953 and became a founding member of Star Alliance in 1997. Other airlines owned by the Lufthansa Group include Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, and others. Lufthansa is also one of the airlines to operate the largest passenger aircraft, the A380.

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9

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines has a capacity of 97,442

Total fleet:

451

Aircraft on order:

342

Country:

Turkey

Turkish Airlines’ capacity comes just under the 100,000 mark at 97,442. The airline is a full-service carrier and is noted for being one of the top-ranked airlines in the world. It was founded in 1933 and remains based in Istanbul, and is the national flag carrier of Turkey. Turkish Airlines offers flights to over 130 countries and over 340 destinations (giving it one of the largest international networks).

Turkish Airlines 777-300ER shutterstock_2137241587

Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock

Turkish Airlines
has a total of 451 aircraft and another 342 aircraft on order (including dozens of the new A350-900 and A350-1000 airliner). Turkish Airlines became a member of Star Alliance in 2008 and flies to more countries than any other airline (including to all six inhabited continents; it began flights to Australia in 2024).

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8

IndiGo

IndiGo has a capacity of 125,192

Total fleet:

429

Aircraft on order:

940

Country:

India

IndiGo is the primary low-cost carrier of India (India has a rapidly growing aviation industry). The airline has a total fleet size of around 429 aircraft, with an impressive 940 aircraft on order. IndiGo is the largest airline in India when measured by both passengers carried and fleet size (Air India is the flag carrier). The airline boasts a 63.6% domestic market share.

A320neo Indigo MSN6946 landing

Photo: Airbus

IndiGo operates over 2,000 daily flights to around 125 destinations – of which 89 are domestic and around 37 are international. The primary hub of IndiGo is Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. It is also one of the world’s youngest major airlines, having only been founded in 2006.

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7

Air China

Air China has a capacity of 130,083

Total fleet:

525

Aircraft on order:

177

Country:

Mainland China

China is one of the world’s largest aviation markets, and mainland China’s flag carrier, Air China, is ranked fifth by capacity. The airline has a fleet of 525 aircraft (including wet-leased aircraft) with an average age of 9.9 years. Air China has a capacity of 130,083. Notably, Air China has just brought the new domestically produced COMAC C919 airliner into service (it has over 100 on order).

Air China C919 2

Photo: Air China

Air China was founded in 1988 and is based in Beijing. Now it is one of many major airlines operating in China and one of the top Chinese airlines offering international flights to much of the world. Air China is the flag carrier of mainland China (the People’s Republic of China) and should not be confused with China Airlines, the flag carrier of Taiwan.

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6

China Southern Airlines

China Southern has a capacity of 138,362

Total fleet:

656

Aircraft on order:

130

Country:

China

While Air China may be the flag carrier of China, China Southern
boasts a larger capacity at 138,362. The airline has a total of 656 aircraft in its fleet with another 130 on order. The fleet is one of the youngest for any major airline in the world, at only 7.9 years old on average. The

airline also operates a small number of COMAC C919 aircraft
.

China Southern Airlines C919

Photo: China Southern

China Southern was founded in 1988, and its main hubs are Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport. It is considered one of the three major airlines of mainland China (the other two being Air China and China Eastern Airlines).

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5

Ryanair

Ryanair has a capacity of 155,053

Total Fleet:

609 (including wet-lease)

Aircraft on order:

188

Country:

Ireland

Ryanair
is the largest airline in the world when measured by the number of passengers flown (it is also the largest airline in Europe when measured by number of aircraft flown). The low-cost Irish airlines helped to transform the aviation industry, making no-frills, low-cost flights the norm for much of Europe.

 Ryanair Boeing 737-800 at Tenerife South airport (TFS) Rania Sofia Airport

Photo: Mike Fuchslocher | Shutterstock

Ryanair has a capacity of 155,053 (plus another 2,835 when Ryanair UK is included). It operates a fleet of 311 aircraft with another 594 wet-leased, bringing its total fleet to around 600. The average age of the Ryanair fleet is 14.6 years, and it has 188 aircraft on order. As a low-cost airline only operating in and around Europe, Ryanair only operates a fleet of narrow-body aircraft.

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I was among the 13 million guests welcomed onboard a Ryanair flight last month, as I flew with the budget airline from London Stansted Airport (STN) to Budapest (BUD) and back. I don’t know if we got lucky, caught the airline and airports on a good day, or simply benefitted from the quieter nature of November as a travel month, but the trip was smoother than any I’ve taken with Ryanair to date.

Most notably, my partner and I had an empty seat next to us on both flights, meaning that we were able to fashion our very own ‘do-it-yourself’ European business class (which, on the continent’s narrowbodies, typically amounts to little more than an empty mi

4

Southwest Airlines

Southwest has a capacity of 205,816

Total fleet:

767

Aircraft on order:

472

Country:

United States

Southwest Airlines
is one of the world’s more unusual large airlines. Being a cross between a full-service carrier and a low-cost carrier, it is considered a hybrid carrier. The airline only operates a fleet of Boeing 737s. This makes maintenance much easier, although it also limits the distances it can fly and the capacity of the aircraft it has at its disposal (its fleet is made up of 737-700s, 737-800s, and 737 MAX 8s with 737 MAX 7s on order).

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 with registration N8907L

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock

Southwest has a capacity of 205,816, making it the third-largest capacity airline in the world. Southwest mostly flies to domestic destinations along with some international holiday destinations in the greater Caribbean area. It doesn’t fly to Canada as its payment system is not set up to handle Canadian dollars. Southwest’s aircraft don’t have the range needed to fly long-haul routes to Europe or other international destinations.

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3

American Airlines

American has capacity of 212,731

Total fleet:

997

Aircraft on order:

997

Country:

United States

American Airlines
comes tantalizingly close to having 1,000 aircraft; however, according to ch-aviation, it is just three aircraft short at 997 aircraft (of which 929 are active and 68 are inactive). American has the largest airline in the world as measured by fleet size, although it ranks under United Airlines in capacity.

American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER (N725AN) departing from London Heathrow Airport.

Photo: paulpdh | Shutterstock

American has an identical (997) number of aircraft on order and the age of its current fleet is 13.4 years. American Airlines was a founding member of the oneworld
airline alliance in 1998 and is noted for its large AAdvantage loyalty program. It is one of the three large US carriers offering international flights to many destinations around the world.

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2

Delta Air Lines

Delta has a capacity of 229,694

Total fleet:

1,009

Aircraft on order:

303

Country:

United States

According to data from ch-aviation, Delta may have the world’s largest airline fleet with a total of 1,009 aircraft (plus another 303 aircraft on order). Delta, United, and American all have the world’s largest fleet sizes, and they are all similar to each other (in March 2024,

American Airlines was considered to have the world’s largest fleet size
). The average age of Delta aircraft is 16.2 years.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A321

Photo: Karolis Kavolelis | Shutterstock

Delta Air Lines
has a capacity of 229,694—making it only a little behind United Airlines and the second largest in the world. Delta is also notable for being the oldest operating airline in the United States and one of the ten oldest operating airlines in the world. It serves around 325 destinations (including Delta Connection) in 52 countries across six continents. Delta is also a founding member of SkyTeam airline alliance, while its Atlanta hub is the busiest airport in the world.

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1

United Airlines

United has a capacity of 253,498

Total fleet:

992

Aircraft on order:

686

Country:

United States

United Airlines
often vies with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines for the rank of being the largest airline in the United States. When measured by capacity, United is ranked number one—not only in the United States, but also globally. United operates a fleet of 992 aircraft, of which 929 are active and 63 are inactive.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924ER (N75429) tanking off from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

United also has some 686 aircraft on order, and its existing fleet is on average 17.0 years old. The largest capacity aircraft by type is the Boeing 737 family of jets, while the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has the largest capacity by sub-type. United is headquartered in Chicago and is one of the oldest airlines in the world (having been founded in 1926).

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