The top 15 airlines in the world were introduced        

Rosiato: The international aviation industry is controlled by the big airlines. When looking to choose airlines, which one catches your attention the most? In the rest of this article, we want to introduce you to the largest airlines in the world based on the number of planes they have. The aviation industry has been one of the most successful industries in the world. Even with the unfortunate events that have recently reduced air travel, the industry is expected to generate more than $471.8 billion in 2021. This means that the biggest airlines in the world are very powerful and of course rich.

There are more than 5,000 airlines worldwide that are registered with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Most of these airlines are small companies and are not considered important players in the international aviation industry and operate only in regional markets. There are several criteria to identify the world's largest airlines. Some use the amount of revenue of the airlines to prepare this list, and others use the number of destinations to which the airlines fly to the number of passengers they carry each year to rank the largest airlines. One of the main criteria is the talent of the fleet or the number of planes that an airline has.

15- Emirates Airlines (270 planes)

Emirates even has a small fleet of special small jets that it makes available to special private customers through its Emirates Exclusiv division. In terms of the kilometers that its planes fly, Emirates is one of the top airlines in the world. Along with having one of the largest air fleets in the world, Emirates also has one of the most modern fleets. This relatively new airline relies on only the most modern passenger aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777.

14- British Airways (287 planes)

The most famous British airline is British Airways, which is one of the largest airlines in the world. According to estimates, this airline has more than 287 aircraft, which includes the fleets of all its subsidiaries, including British Regional Airlines and Carib Express. British Airways is part of a large holding company called International Airlines Group, which was formed in 2011 after British Airways merged with Spanish airline Iberia.

Together, the members of this group have the sixth largest airline fleet in the world. Until a decade ago, British Airways was the largest airline in the world by number of passengers and ranked higher in terms of fleet size. But as the aviation industry has changed and Heathrow Airport as one of the main hubs of British Airways lost its importance as an international hub, British Airways also fell in this list.

13- LATAM Airlines Group (315 planes)

LATAM Airlines Group is the largest airline fleet in Latin America. This airline has active branches in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru, and a total of 315 planes are active. LATAM Airlines Group is one of the largest airlines in the world in terms of connecting routes that it has created for passengers. This airline uses different air hubs such as Comodoro Arturo Merino International Airport in Benitare de Chile and Sao Paulo Airport in Brazil. LATAM is the undisputed champion of air communication in the South American continent and has more connections with other continents. But LATAM is not the world's largest airline by revenue. In fact, the airline filed for bankruptcy in 2020 in an attempt to pay off its bad debts in the United States.

12- Lufthansa (354 aircraft)

The main German airline called Lufthansa is one of the largest airlines in Europe and the world. Together with its regional partners, Lufthansa has a fleet of 354 aircraft. Lufthansa would no doubt be ranked much higher if the list was about airline groups instead of individual airlines. This is because Lufthansa Group Holding also owns companies such as Eurowings, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and SWISS Air.

Together, these airlines have a very large air fleet that has established the majority of air connections in the world, especially in Europe. In terms of the number of passengers carried by this airline, Lufthansa is an important player in the world and ranks second in terms of the number of passengers carried in Europe. Although North American and Asian airlines have more power in the international arena, Lufthansa is still considered one of the largest airlines in Europe.

11- Turkish Airlines (383 planes)

It is not surprising that Turkish Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world. The flights of this airline play an important role in international air communication. Turkish Airlines flights make important international connections. One of the main hubs of this airline, Istanbul Airport, is the busiest airport in Europe. Turkish Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world in terms of aircraft fleet, an airline whose number of aircraft reaches 383. If this list was made about the most connected airlines and not the largest fleets, Turkish Airlines would easily be at the top of the list. This airline has more flights to different countries and destinations than any other airline.

Thus it makes perfect sense for Turkish Airlines to have such a large fleet of aircraft as it needs enough aircraft to maintain such extensive international connectivity. Although Turkish Airlines has been in the aviation industry since the 1930s, it was in the 1980s that it became an international player in the civil aviation industry. Turkish Airlines is one of the best airlines in the world thanks to its expanding fleet of giant airliners, positioning itself as a stopover for east-west flights, and its reputation for exceptional service. New airlines in the Middle East such as Emirates are planning to copy Turkish Airlines' business model.

10- Air China (472 planes)

Some of the world's largest airlines are present in China. One of these airlines is Air China, which has 472 aircraft in its fleet. This number is constantly increasing as Air China plans to order more than 30 passenger planes in the near future. In fact, China has many airlines (three of which are on this list). The difference between Air China and others is that this airline is the main airline of the Chinese government, placing it above the other two airlines, the three airlines that are called the "big three" and most of their operations are within China.

Air China was founded in the 1980s and most of the international flights of the former Chinese state-owned company have been taken over by this airline, although it also covers most of the domestic flights thanks to the takeover of Shenzhen Airlines. Air China has access to Europe, America and Australia through its passenger hubs from Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai.

9- Sky West (500 planes)

Airlines based in the United States are some of the largest in the world, which is due to the importance of air travel in the United States due to the size of the country and the relative weakness of the rail system. SkyWest, which is a relatively small regional airline in the United States, is one of the largest airlines in the world based on the size of its fleet. This airline has more than 500 planes in its fleet. Sky West mainly connects cities in the western region of the United States. The airline has hubs in Chicago, Detroit, Denver and several other cities west of the Mississippi River. Because of this, SkyWest has such a large fleet that it acts as a contractor for other airlines and most importantly, Alaska Airlines.

8- Ryanair (505 planes)

The Irish airline Ryanair is one of the best budget airlines in the world, which has managed to maintain its large fleet despite the low prices of its services compared to other airlines. By the summer of 2022, the number of aircraft in the Ryanair fleet will reach 505 aircraft. Ryanair's fleet consists mainly of small aircraft as the airline connects destinations within Europe. But the fleet of this airline is so big that it flies to most of the destinations inside this continent. Instead of having just one base, in the 2010s, Ryanair had 44 bases across Europe. Ryanair is not the first and largest airline in the world in terms of budget, but it is one of the largest airlines that operates many international flights with a smaller budget than other airlines.

7- China Eastern Airlines (600 planes)

China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern Airlines) is one of the "big three" of China in the field of aviation industry, which are the main airlines of this country in the field of air travel in China. This airline has the second largest fleet among the three main airlines of the country and the number of its planes reaches 600. China Eastern Airlines also holds the second place in the ranking of Chinese airlines in terms of the number of passengers they carry. Like Air China, China Eastern Airlines was formed when the Chinese government dissolved the Civil Aviation Administration and several airlines branched off from it. The airline operates several intercontinental international flights, including direct flights from Shanghai to New York, as well as numerous domestic flights, which shows the diversity of the Chinese airline's flights.

6- China Southern Airlines (640 planes)

China Southern Airlines (China Southern Airlines) is the last and largest airline that forms the big three of Chinese airlines. In 2022, the number of planes of this airline will reach 640 planes, most of which will be big jets like Boeing 737. Besides the fact that this airline is the largest air transportation system in China, it is the largest airline in Asia in terms of fleet size, number of passengers and even revenue. This airline uses Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou as its main hub, which is one of the busiest airports in the world. In addition to having international flights, this airline has many flight routes between Chinese cities and airports in South Central Asia.

5- Southwest Airlines (732 planes)

Southwest Airlines is the largest budget airline in the United States and one of the largest airlines in the world, which is very remarkable when you know that the United States has the five largest airlines in the world. Southwest Airlines has more than 732 aircraft in its fleet. The interesting point of this piece is that all 732 planes in the fleet of this airline are all of the same type and Boeing 737. Southwest Airlines is the first airline to focus on only one type of passenger aircraft to reduce costs. Southwest Airlines was the originator of the budget airline model.

4- FedEx Express (800 planes)

One of the largest airlines in the world does not carry a single passenger. FedEx Express has a fleet of 800 aircraft. FedEx is the largest air cargo fleet in the world, using its aircraft to transport postal packages throughout the United States. The main hubs of this airline include Memphis Airport, which is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world. FedEx is the largest buyer of many of the world's most common cargo aircraft, such as the Airbus A300 and Cessna 208.

3- United Airlines (841 planes)

United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world that has 841 planes. It also has the best connections of any airline in the world, with flights spanning the globe and connecting all six habitable continents, along with many destinations within the United States. United Airlines has also been an important player in the history of the aviation industry. It was formed in the 1920s through the merger of several smaller airlines, and it was then that it received the name "United", long before the civil aviation industry took shape. The airline helped form Star Alliance, the holding company that shaped modern travel. But the size of this airline shows that United Airlines is not satisfied with its credibility and innovation alone.

2- Delta Air Lines (874 planes)

Delta Air Lines (Delta Air Lines) is one of the largest airlines in the world based on the size of the fleet, the number of passengers it carries and several other criteria, which has 874 aircraft. By some other measure, Delta Air Lines is the largest airline in the world. For example, this airline is the largest airline in the world based on revenue and has managed to beat American Airlines in this regard. Everything is magnified when connected to Delta. Delta Air Lines' main hub for domestic and international flights is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, which has been the busiest airport in the world in recent years.

1- American Airlines (913 planes)

The largest airline in the world is American Airlines. This US-based airline has a very significant fleet of 913 aircraft, and this number does not include any of its subsidiaries. American Airlines is the world's largest airline by several other measures as well, including the number of passengers it carries and the distances it flies. This airline ranks second among the best airlines in the world in terms of revenue and brand value. American Airlines has also been very large and successful in the highly competitive market of the aviation industry in the United States, thanks to a series of strategic claims with airlines such as TWA and US Airways. In addition, American Airlines is constantly updating its aircraft and can cover longer international routes.