In this article, we reveal the top 10 airlines of Q1 2024 by region, based on Available Seat Miles (ASMs), number of flights, and seats offered.
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
Among airlines worldwide, United Airlines takes the top spot for Q1 2024 as the airline with the most ASMs at 73,135,756,915. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines follow closely behind in terms of ASMs with 71,061,266,683 and 65,853,849,226 ASMs respectively.
Moreover, American Airlines offered the most flights (513,397) and most seats (65,932,432) in the first quarter of 2024.
| Rank | Airlines | ASMs | Flights | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Airlines | 73,135,756,915 | 373,367 | 49,766,113 |
| 2 | American Airlines | 71,061,266,683 | 513,397 | 65,932,432 |
| 3 | Delta Air Lines | 65,853,849,226 | 395,332 | 55,042,454 |
| 4 | Emirates | 53,717,255,377 | 41,640 | 17,127,612 |
| 5 | Southwest Airlines | 42,800,188,174 | 354,470 | 56,371,898 |
| 6 | Qatar Airways | 39,540,594,874 | 49,835 | 13,494,349 |
| 7 | China Southern Airlines | 37,791,369,018 | 209,031 | 37,699,593 |
| 8 | Turkish Airlines | 36,150,284,400 | 117,894 | 23,456,260 |
| 9 | China Eastern Airlines | 33,674,493,815 | 217,211 | 36,294,279 |
| 10 | Ryanair | 32,270,020,367 | 206,340 | 39,383,634 |
| 11 | Air China | 32,157,471,371 | 153,425 | 28,864,693 |
| 12 | British Airways | 25,936,526,810 | 73,431 | 14,020,444 |
| 13 | Air Canada | 24,483,605,887 | 92,412 | 13,683,874 |
| 14 | Air France | 23,794,707,008 | 61,124 | 11,094,667 |
| 15 | LATAM Airlines | 23,712,373,061 | 137,015 | 25,129,240 |
| 16 | Lufthansa | 23,557,775,401 | 95,641 | 16,572,152 |
| 17 | IndiGo | 21,797,234,828 | 177,236 | 31,602,506 |
| 18 | Singapore Airlines | 20,737,826,478 | 28,439 | 7,493,410 |
| 19 | ANA | 16,716,773,546 | 106,513 | 19,422,606 |
| 20 | KLM | 16,516,372,381 | 60,793 | 9,678,931 |
Top 10 Airlines in North America
With the big three US carriers leading the airlines globally, Southwest and Air Canada rounded off the top five airlines in North America in the first quarter of 2024.
| Rank | Airlines | ASMs | Flights | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Airlines | 73,135,756,915 | 373,367 | 49,766,113 |
| 2 | American Airlines | 71,061,266,683 | 513,397 | 65,932,432 |
| 3 | Delta Air Lines | 65,853,849,226 | 395,332 | 55,042,454 |
| 4 | Southwest Airlines | 42,800,188,174 | 354,470 | 56,371,898 |
| 5 | Air Canada | 24,483,605,887 | 92,412 | 13,683,874 |
| 6 | JetBlue | 16,448,194,709 | 80,589 | 12,359,352 |
| 7 | Alaska Airlines | 16,328,201,503 | 97,499 | 13,004,458 |
| 8 | Spirit Airlines | 13,644,279,171 | 72,380 | 13,698,518 |
| 9 | Frontier Airlines | 9,588,392,810 | 49,556 | 9,971,766 |
| 10 | Volaris | 7,699,153,735 | 37,900 | 7,597,725 |
Top 10 Airlines in Europe
In Europe, Turkish Airlines emerged as the top carrier for Q1 2024 based on Available Seat Miles (ASMs). Boasting a staggering 36,150,284,400 ASMs, Turkish Airlines offered the second-highest number of flights and seats, only behind Ryanair.
Ryanair followed closely behind at 32,270,020,367 ASMs. Legacy carriers like British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa round out the top five, showcasing their continued presence at the top in the region.
| Rank | Airlines | ASMs | Flights | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkish Airlines | 36,150,284,400 | 117,894 | 23,456,260 |
| 2 | Ryanair | 32,270,020,367 | 206,340 | 39,383,634 |
| 3 | British Airways | 25,936,526,810 | 73,431 | 14,020,444 |
| 4 | Air France | 23,794,707,008 | 61,124 | 11,094,667 |
| 5 | Lufthansa | 23,557,775,401 | 95,641 | 16,572,152 |
| 6 | KLM | 16,516,372,381 | 60,793 | 9,678,931 |
| 7 | Aeroflot | 15,406,779,770 | 57,668 | 9,758,962 |
| 8 | EasyJet | 13,854,266,798 | 107,359 | 19,373,827 |
| 9 | Iberia | 11,668,529,435 | 42,789 | 6,654,106 |
| 10 | TAP Air Portugal | 7,706,459,474 | 27,001 | 4,587,608 |
Top 10 Airlines in Asia-Pacific
China Southern Airlines leads the pack in the Asia-Pacific region for Q1 2024 with ASMs of 37,791,369,018, followed by China Eastern Airlines and Air China with 33,674,493,815 and 32,157,471,371 ASMs respectively.
| Rank | Airlines | ASMs | Flights | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Southern Airlines | 37,791,369,018 | 209,031 | 37,699,593 |
| 2 | China Eastern Airlines | 33,674,493,815 | 217,211 | 36,294,279 |
| 3 | Air China | 32,157,471,371 | 153,425 | 28,864,693 |
| 4 | IndiGo | 21,797,234,828 | 177,236 | 31,602,506 |
| 5 | Singapore Airlines | 20,737,826,478 | 28,439 | 7,493,410 |
| 6 | ANA | 16,716,773,546 | 106,513 | 19,422,606 |
| 7 | Cathay Pacific | 16,477,829,533 | 23,123 | 6,993,066 |
| 8 | Qantas | 14,757,331,335 | 67,796 | 9,480,000 |
| 9 | Korean Air | 13,922,353,264 | 30,615 | 6,876,298 |
| 10 | Hainan Airlines | 12,989,713,125 | 67,942 | 12,952,775 |
Top 10 Airlines in South America
In South America, LATAM Airlines claimed the top spot with ASMs totalling 23,712,373,061 and undoubtedly the carrier offered the most seats (25,129,240) as well.
Avianca came in second place based on ASMs and Azul made it into the top three.
| Rank | Airlines | ASMs | Flights | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LATAM Airlines | 23,712,373,061 | 137,015 | 25,129,240 |
| 2 | Avianca | 9,532,269,820 | 64,902 | 11,821,190 |
| 3 | Azul | 7,044,980,540 | 79,295 | 9,861,766 |
| 4 | Copa Airlines | 7,006,416,902 | 30,897 | 4,937,016 |
| 5 | Gol | 6,745,630,068 | 51,757 | 9,232,962 |
| 6 | Aerolineas Argentinas | 4,518,372,226 | 30,917 | 4,354,252 |
| 7 | Sky Airline | 2,279,662,120 | 15,444 | 2,985,672 |
| 8 | JetSmart Chile | 1,528,969,710 | 7,726 | 1,545,684 |
| 9 | BoA | 825,372,698 | 10,606 | 1,530,817 |
| 10 | JetSmart Argentina | 512,399,868 | 3,197 | 594,642 |
Top 10 Airlines in the Middle East
Emirates took the lead in the Middle East with ASMs totalling 53,717,255,377 in Q1 2024. Even though Qatar Airways operated the highest number of flights among the Middle East carriers, it ranked second in terms of ASMs.
However, if we look at the seats offered by these carriers, Emirates is unsurprisingly at the top again.
| Rank | Airlines | ASMs | Flights | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emirates | 53,717,255,377 | 41,640 | 17,127,612 |
| 2 | Qatar Airways | 39,540,594,874 | 49,835 | 13,494,349 |
| 3 | Saudia | 15,972,671,487 | 46,656 | 10,555,370 |
| 4 | Etihad Airways | 13,634,170,943 | 19,608 | 4,887,111 |
| 5 | Flydubai | 6,913,663,606 | 28,899 | 5,034,034 |
| 6 | Air Arabia | 4,444,608,895 | 18,900 | 3,326,309 |
| 7 | Oman Air (SAOG) | 3,970,577,929 | 11,295 | 2,377,783 |
| 8 | El Al | 3,904,469,380 | 7,145 | 1,442,629 |
| 9 | Flynas | 3,586,642,375 | 24,232 | 4,230,318 |
| 10 | Kuwait Airways | 3,179,221,023 | 8,685 | 1,685,785 |
Top 10 Airlines in Africa
In Africa, Ethiopian Airlines reported the highest ASMs for Q1 2024 at 11,064,295,537 and offered the most seats (6,039,806) compared to other airlines in the region.
EgyptAir trails behind with 5,534,606,021 ASMs.
| Rank | Airlines | ASMs | Flights | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethiopian Airlines | 11,064,295,537 | 34,346 | 6,039,806 |
| 2 | EgyptAir | 5,534,606,021 | 20,822 | 3,714,728 |
| 3 | Royal Air Maroc | 3,139,994,190 | 14,086 | 2,168,285 |
| 4 | Kenya Airways | 2,437,919,018 | 11,038 | 1,459,153 |
| 5 | Air Algerie | 2,271,340,073 | 18,518 | 2,347,016 |
| 6 | Air Cairo | 1,670,223,552 | 9,124 | 1,452,984 |
| 7 | Safair | 1,547,598,510 | 14,254 | 2,638,518 |
| 8 | Air Mauritius | 1,325,680,976 | 2,900 | 524,994 |
| 9 | Tunisair | 907,808,763 | 4,954 | 908,151 |
| 10 | Airlink | 836,437,035 | 20,668 | 1,431,989 |
Source: CIRIUM Diio