AIRLINE NATION Every airline, operating and defunct

Airline Nation: 2,463 airlines, 1,114 still flying, 1,349 gone

Identity, historical records, codes, callsigns, and corporate lineages for the world's airlines. One page per carrier.

Data as of 2026-11-10
Total Catalogued Audited Registry
2,463
Commercial and cargo carriers
Operating Active Fleet/Status
1,114
Airlines flying today
Defunct & Merged Historical Registry
1,349
Historical carriers
Countries & Regions Civil Registries
243
Sovereign territories
Oldest Flying Carrier Est. 1919
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Founded 1919
Recent Closure Ceased 2021
Alitalia
Ceased 2021

Key Facts: Global Airline Directory

  • The directory catalogs 2,463 total airlines across 243 countries as of 2026-11-10.
  • 1,114 carriers maintain active operations or verified fleets.
  • 1,349 carriers have ceased operations, entered bankruptcy, or merged into successor airlines.
  • Every carrier is indexed by two-letter IATA code, three-letter ICAO code, telephony callsign, founding era, and country of origin.
Type at least 2 characters to filter carriers instantly.

Browse Airlines A to Z

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9
Interactive Visualization

World Airline Map & Global Route Network

Explore commercial carriers, operational hubs, and flight networks across 240+ sovereign nations. Filter by active vs defunct status, browse global airline clusters, and inspect international routes.

Explore Global World Map →
Great-Circle Nav
Flight Distance & Time
Calculate exact distances (NM, km, mi), flight times, and direct carriers.
Sleep & Circadian
Jet Lag Calculator
Time zone shifts, light exposure protocols, and recovery schedules.
Baggage Guide
Carry-On Dimensions
Cabin roller limits, weight rules, and baggage fee matrices.
Infrastructure
Runway Performance
Longest, shortest, alpine altiports, and takeoff field lengths.
Cockpit Tech
Avionics & Automation
PFD, ND, FMS, TCAS, fly-by-wire, and flight deck ergonomics.
Dining Science
In-Flight Catering
High-altitude taste perception, mega flight kitchens, and SPML codes.
Mach 2 Aviation
Supersonic Flight
Concorde, Tu-144, Boom Overture, and quiet boom NASA X-59.
Net-Zero 2050
SAF & Green Aviation
HEFA, e-fuels, hydrogen combustion, and hybrid-electric airframes.
Radio Primer
ICAO Phonetics & ATC
Radiotelephony alphabet, callsign speller, and controller phraseology.
Tail Registry
Aircraft Registrations
Decode civil aviation country prefixes (N, VH, G-, 9V) and fleet codes.
Distance Records
Longest Flights
Top ultra-long-haul scheduled non-stops and shortest commuter hops.
Visual Design
Livery Evolution
Bare metal, cheatlines, Eurowhite, and iconic cultural paint schemes.
Cabin Comfort
Cabins & Seating
First class suites, lie-flat business, pitch guide, and fuselage geometry.
Propulsion Tech
Jet Engine Families
GE90/GE9X, Rolls-Royce Trent, CFM LEAP, and GTF turbofan specs.
Loyalty Perks
Alliance Elite Tiers
Reciprocal lounge access and baggage perks across Star, oneworld, and SkyTeam.
Fleet Guide
Aircraft Families
Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and ATR specs, ranges, and operating airlines.
Route Matrix
Non-Stop Route Finder
Search direct flight pairs, premier air corridors, and hub connections.
Aviation Law
Freedoms of the Air
Visual explainer of 1st through 9th Freedoms with real-world examples.
Terminology
Aviation Glossary
Searchable decoder for ETOPS, TCAS, METAR, Codeshare, and Cabotage.
Hub Gateways
World Airport Hubs
3,000+ commercial airports, route networks, and operating bases.
Partnerships
Global Alliances
Star Alliance, oneworld, SkyTeam, and regional carrier coalitions.
Comparator
Side-by-Side Tool
Direct fleet, destination, code, and history comparisons.
Chronology
Aviation Timeline
Six historical eras from pioneer mail clippers to modern twinjets.
Interactive Game
Callsigns & Trivia Quiz
Test your knowledge on Speedbird, Cactus, and legendary airlines.
Open Research
Open Data Hub
Direct CSV and JSON downloads of clean aviation datasets.

Browse by Country

View all 243 countries →
ACTIVE AERO 1 AEROCENTER 1 AEROCESAR 1 AEROPERLAS 1 AEROPUMA 1 AEROSUN 1 AEROVARADERO 1 AEROWEE 1 AIR CLASS 1 AIR FREIGHTER 1 AIR PRINT 1 AIR-MAUR 1 AIREX 1 AIRFLIGHT 1 AIRMAN 1 AIRNAT 1 AIRPAC 1 AIRPORT HELICOPTER 1 AIRWAVE 1 ALAMO 1

Largest Carriers by Observed Fleet

Full fleet leaderboard →
Airline IATA ICAO Country Status Observed Fleet Live Tracking
Delta Air Lines DL DAL United States active 1,388 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
American Airlines AA AAL United States active 1,239 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
United Airlines UA UAL United States active 1,016 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
Southwest Airlines WN SWA United States active 875 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
China Southern Airlines CZ CSN China active 579 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
Ryanair FR RYR Ireland active 497 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
China Eastern Airlines MU CES China active 491 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
Federal Express FX FDX United States active 483 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
Air China CA CCA China active 412 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
Lufthansa LH DLH Germany active 400 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
SkyWest OO SKW United States active 398 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
Turkish Airlines TK THY Turkey active 393 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
easyJet U2 EZY United Kingdom active 344 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
British Airways BA BAW United Kingdom active 316 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →
Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU AFL Russia active 308 Live fleet on Airline Fleet Monitor →

Oldest Airlines Still Flying

View all →
Carrier Country Founded
Avianca - Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia AVIANCA 1919
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Netherlands 1919
Qantas Australia 1920
Delta Air Lines United States 1925
American Airlines United States 1926
United Airlines United States 1926
Air France France 1933
Turkish Airlines Turkey 1933

Recently Defunct Carriers

Browse archive →
Carrier Country Ceased
Alitalia Italy 2021
Air Berlin Germany 2017
1Time Airline South Africa 2012
Swissair Switzerland 2002
Braniff International Airways United States 1982

Latest Industry News

Daily news archive →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Airline Nation?

Airline Nation is an open reference directory cataloguing the identity, operational history, codes, and corporate lineages of operating and defunct airlines worldwide.

How is operational status verified?

Airlines with observed active airframes or documented active operations are categorized as active. Carriers that filed for bankruptcy, ceased flight schedules, or merged into successor entities are verified as defunct.

What does observed fleet count represent?

Observed fleet counts represent physical airframes recorded in civil registry logs and observation datasets. Live telemetry, radars, and real-time flight tracking are maintained on sister platform Airline Fleet Monitor.

Why are some airline entries marked as stubs?

Airlines with fewer than six verified historical facts are maintained as research stubs to ensure data integrity and prevent thin programmatic content.