As Air India plans to expand, here are the leaders of aviation industry

Since Air India is planning to expand its fleet size and by extension its flight operations and revenue, it is worth finding out the top airlines in several segments

The aviation industry is desperately hoping for a turnaround after two bad years for business, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. However, when travel did resume, the airlines found themselves underprepared.

Reports came in yesterday that Tata Group-owned Air India Ltd would order as many as 300 narrowbody jets, in what could be one of the largest orders in commercial aviation history. The carrier may order Airbus SE’s A320neo family jets or Boeing Co.’s 737 Max models, or a mix of both. A deal for 300 737 Max-10 jets could be worth $40.5 billion at sticker prices, although discounts are common in such large purchases.

Since Air India is planning to expand its fleet size and by extension its flight operations and revenue, it is worth finding out the top airlines in these segments.

Top airlines of the world: By Revenue

Revenue generation has been an issue for most airlines across the globe. The aviation sector became one of the worst hit due to the pandemic. Revenues went down as international and domestic flights were banned. Anyhow, here are the top airlines on the basis of revenue. Amrican Airlines and Delta Air Lines share the honours.
 

Top airlines by revenue (As of March 2022)

• American Airlines: $29.9 billion (USA)
• Delta Air Lines: $29.9 billion (USA)
• United Airlines: $24.6 billion (USA)
• China Southern Airlines: $16.4 billion (China)
• Lufthansa: $15.4 billion (Germany)

Top airlines of the world: By flights

Airlines become popular among customer if they have more frequency. The airline that has more flights annually is bound to be preferred by passengers. Here are the top airlines by flights. American Airlines is the winner.
 

Top airlines by flights (flights per annum)

• American Airlines: 179,582
• Delta Air Lines: 135,629
• United Airlines: 126,129
• Southwest Airlines: 106,325
• China Eastern Airlines: 69,934

Top airlines of the world: By fleet size

An airline with high number of flights per annum needs to have more aircraft. The size of the fleet plays a big role in airline's annual flights and revenues. Here are the top airlines by fleet size. American Airlines beats the competition by some distance.
 

Top airlines by fleet size

• American Airlines: 956 aircraft
• Delta Air Lines: 879 aircraft
• Southwest Airlines: 749 aircraft
• United Airlines: 765 aircraft
• Ryanair: 439 aircraft

Top airlines of the world: By passengers carried

The fleet size and annual flights contribute to the number of passengers an airline would cater to annually. Airlines invest in buying more aircraft so that they can serve more passengers. Here are the top airlines by passengers carried. American Airlines wins the race here, yet again.

Top airlines by passengers carried (in million)

• American Airlines Group: 215.18
• Delta Air Lines: 204.00
• Southwest Airlines: 162.68
• United Airlines: 162.44
• Ryanair Ireland: 152.4

Top airlines of the world: By countries served

Despite the size of the fleet, revenue generated, or the number of annual flights, there are some airlines that just pop up on the list when it comes to serving more nations. Here are the top airlnes with most nations served. Turkish Airlines comes out on the top.

Top airlines by countries served

• Turkish Airlines 129
• Air France 91
• British Airways 82
• Ethiopian Airlines 81
• Emirates 78