In this article we are going to list the 5 most valuable airline companies. For a detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive list, please head on over to the 15 most valuable airline companies.
5. Air China
Market cap of the company in March 2021 (in billions of dollars): 18.12
It is one of the big three Chinese airlines, which carried more than 100 million passengers, both domestically and internationally, back in 2017. The company was only founded 33 years ago in 1988 and is part of Star Alliance, the biggest alliance of airlines in the world. The company has more than 440 aircraft at its disposal and is headquartered in Beijing.
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4. United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL)
Market cap of the company in March 2021 (in billions of dollars): 19.354
United Airlines has operations not just across the United States, but on six continents as well. In terms of fleet size and number of routes, it is considered to be the third biggest airline in the world, though by market cap, it is actually just the fourth most valuable airline in the world right now, and has eight hubs with the Chicago O’Hare airport being the largest hub of them all. It is also said to be a founding member of the Star Alliance, which is the biggest airline alliance in the world itself with 28 airlines as members.
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3. RyanAir (NASDAQ:RYAAY)
Market cap of the company in March 2021 (in billions of dollars): 21.939
RyanAir is one of the most popular budget airlines in the world. In 2016, it was named as the biggest European budget airline in terms of passengers. It is especially popular for its rapid expansion ever since Europe deregulated the airline industry back in 1997. However, it has also attracted criticism, especially in recent years, for poor working conditions and misleading customers into incurring extra charges, thereby making the flight actually more expensive than other, better options.
2. Delta Airlines (NASDAQ:DAL)
Market cap of the company in March 2021 (in billions of dollars): 31.231
Considered one of the biggest airlines in the United States, Delta Airlines has nine hubs with the biggest being in Atlanta if you consider the number of passengers and the fleet size as well. The company commenced operations back in 1925, 96 years ago and recorded revenue of more than $47 billion in 2019, while the net income was more than $4.7 billion.
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1. Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV)
Market cap of the company in March 2021 (in billions of dollars): 36.031
Surprisingly surpassing the biggest airlines in the US such as Delta and American Airlines is Southwest Airlines, which takes the first position in the 5 most valuable airline companies in the world. Southwest is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and provides services to at least 111 destinations in just the United States alone. It is also the biggest carrier in the United States in terms of domestic passengers. The company has nearly 60,000 employees and has more than 4,000 flights a day at its peak.
See also: 10 Most Profitable Airlines in the World and 10 Airlines With Most Legroom on International Flights
