A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations.
The largest airlines in the world can be measured in several ways. As of 2023, Delta Air Lines was the largest by revenue, assets, market capitalization, fleet size and brand value; American Airlines Group by passengers carried and employees; FedEx Express by freight tonne-kilometers; Southwest Airlines by routes; and Turkish Airlines by countries served.
Eswatini Airlink was a regional airline based in Matsapha, Eswatini, and was the flag carrier of that country.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, and formerly known as Harare International Airport and Salisbury Airport, is an international airport in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is the largest airport in the country and serves as the base of Air Zimbabwe, the national flag carrier. It is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.
Matsapha Airport is an airport located near Manzini, a city in Manzini District in the center-west of Eswatini. It serves flights of the Eswatini Government and mercy flights.
Airlink is a regional airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its main business is to provide services between smaller, under-served towns and larger hub airports. It has since expanded to offer flights on larger, mainline routes. The airline has a network of more than 60 routes to over 45 destinations in Southern Africa. In January 2021, it became the second-largest carrier within Africa by number of flights, and third-largest by number of seats.
Eswatini Air is an Eswatini-based airline and the flag carrier for the nation. Originally planning to commence operations in June 2022, the airline secured an AOC in December 2022 after some delays. Operations commenced on 26 March 2023 with twice-daily flights to Johannesburg, with the necessary foreign operator permits granted by South Africa. Harare, Zimbabwe was added in April 2023, and Durban and Cape Town were added to the network by June 2023.
