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The following is a list of government-owned airlines. The practice of government ownership of airlines, particularly flag carrier airlines, occurs in many countries. The following is a list of both airlines currently owned by a government, and former government-owned airlines.
This is a list of airlines which were formerly government owned. They have since been privatized or have ceased operations.
 |
| Airline | Country | End of government ownership | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adria Airways |  Slovenia | 2019 | Bankrupt |
| Aer Lingus |  Ireland | 2015 | Ryanair & Government held shares sold to IAG |
| Albanian Airlines |  Albania | 1995 | |
| Austrian Airlines |  Austria | 2009 | |
| Armenian Airlines |  Armenia | 2003 | |
| Aero Caribbean |  Cuba | 2015 | Merged into Cubana [36] |
| Aeroflot-Cargo |  Russian Federation | 2010 | Merged with Aeroflot |
| Aeroméxico |  Mexico | 2007 | Privatized |
| Aerotaxi | Cuba | 2009 | Ceased operations |
| Air Bissau |  Guinea-Bissau | 1998 | Liquidated [37] |
| Air Burundi |  Burundi | 2009 | Ceased operations [38] |
| Air Gabon |  Gabon | 2006 | Bankrupt |
| Air Guinée |  Guinea | 1992 | Privatized 1992, dissolved 2002 |
| Air India |  India | 2021 | Privatized |
| Air Ivoire |  Ivory Coast | 2011 | Ceased operations |
| Air Jamaica |  Jamaica | 2011 | Sold to Caribbean Airlines 2011, ceased operations 2015 |
| Air Liberia |  Liberia | 1990 | Ceased trading |
| Air Malawi |  Malawi | 2013 | Voluntary liquidation |
| Air Mali (1960-89) |  Mali | 1989 | Shut down [39] |
| Air Niger |  Niger | 1993 | Ceased operations [40] |
| Air Rwanda |  Rwanda | 2002 | Taken over by and rebranded to RwandAir |
| Air Sénégal International |  Senegal | 2009 | Operations suspended [41] |
| Air Vanuatu |  Vanuatu | 2024 | Ceased trading [42] |
| Air Zaïre |  Zaire | 1995 | Bankrupt [43] |
| Alitalia |  Italy | 2021 | Bankrupt and rebranded to ITA Airways [44] |
| Berkut Air |  Kazakhstan | 2011 | Rebranded |
| British Airways |  United Kingdom | 1987 | Privatised [45] |
| Cabo Verde Airlines |  Cabo Verde | 2019 | Privatized [46] |
| Cameroon Airlines |  Cameroon | 2008 | Ceased operations |
| Cyprus Airways (1947–2015) |  Cyprus | 2015 | Bankruptcy |
| Donavia | Russia | 2016 | Merged with Rossiya Airlines |
| Ecuato Guineana |  Equatorial Guinea | ~ 2007 | Unknown |
| Eurocypria Airlines | Cyprus | 2010 | Bankruptcy [47] |
| Gambia International Airlines |  Gambia | 2007 | Shut down |
| Ghana Airways |  Ghana | 2004 | Ceased operations |
| Guine Bissau Airlines | Guinea Bissau | 2003 | |
| Iberia (airline) |  Spain | 2001 | Privatized |
| Indian Airlines | India | 2011 | Ceased operations |
| Japan Airlines |  Japan | 1987 | Privatized [48] |
| LAN Chile |  Chile | 1994 | Privatized |
| Lina Congo |  Republic of Congo | 2002 | Dissolved |
| Lufthansa |  Germany | 1994 | Privatized [49] |
| Merpati Nusantara Airlines |  Indonesia | 2014 | Ceased operations |
| Norfolk Air |  /  Norfolk Island, Australia | 2011 | Ceased operations [50] |
| NorOntair |  /  Ontario, Canada | 1996 | Ceased operations [51] |
| Olympic Airlines |  Greece | 2009 | Shut down |
| Qantas | Australia | 1992 | Privatized [52] |
| Royal Swazi National Airways |  Eswatini | 1999 | Ceased operations |
| Sierra National Airlines |  Sierra Leone | 2004 | Ceased operations [53] |
| Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) |  Denmark  Sweden  Norway | 2001 | Since 2001, +50% stocks are publicly traded. The Norwegian government confirmed it sold its stake in 2018. [54] In 2024, the Norwegian government once again received a stake, when SAS used stocks to repay part of a 2020 loan. [55] Government stakes remain: 14.24% (Danish government) [56] |
| South Africa Express |  South Africa | 2020 | Liquidated [57] |
| South African Airways | South Africa | 2022 | Privatized[ citation needed ] |
| Kenya Airways |  Kenya | 1996 | Government owns minority stake (48.9%) [58] |
| TAME |  Ecuador | 2020 | Liquidated [59] |
| TANS Perú |  Peru | 2006 | Shut down [60] |
| Toumaï Air Tchad |  Chad | 2012 | Ceased operations [61] |
| Turkish Airlines |  Turkey | 2006 | Privatized [62] |
| Uganda Airlines (1976-2001) |  Uganda | 2001 | Liquidated [63] |
| Ukraine International Airlines |  Ukraine | 2011 | Privatized |
| Ukrainian Cargo Airways | Ukraine | 2009 | Shut down [64] |
| Varig |  Brazil | 1999 | |
| Royal Tongan Airlines |  Tonga | 2004 | |
| Zambia Airways |  Zambia | 1994 | Ceased operations [65] |
Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. Its head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
SkyTeam is one of the world's three major airline alliances. Founded in June 2000, SkyTeam was the last of the three alliances to be formed, the first two being Star Alliance and Oneworld, respectively. Its annual passenger count is 624 million customers (2024), the second largest of the three major alliances. As of October 2024, SkyTeam consists of 19 active carriers; it also operates a cargo alliance named SkyTeam Cargo, which partners with ten carriers, all SkyTeam members. Its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, is based in Amstelveen, Netherlands.
Air France–KLM S.A., also known as Air France–KLM Group, is a French-Dutch multinational airline holding company with its headquarters in the rue du Cirque, Paris, France. The group’s three major brands are Air France, KLM and Transavia. Air France-KLM is the result of the merger in 2004 between Air France and KLM. Both Air France and KLM are members of the SkyTeam airline alliance. The group's main hubs are Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Orly Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Air France-KLM Airlines transported 83 million passengers in 2022.
Kuwait Airways is the flag carrier of Kuwait, with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport, Al Farwaniyah Governorate. It operates scheduled international services throughout the Middle East, to the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Southeast Asia and North America, from its main base at Kuwait International Airport.
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.
Air Europa Líneas Aéreas, S.A.U., branded as Air Europa, is the third-largest Spanish airline after Iberia and Vueling. The airline is headquartered in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain; it has its main hub at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport with focus city operations at Palma de Mallorca Airport and Tenerife North Airport. Air Europa flies to over 44 destinations in Spain, the rest of Europe, South America, North America, the Caribbean, Morocco and Tunisia. Since September 2007, Air Europa has been member of the SkyTeam alliance.
Etihad Airways is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, alongside Emirates. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates.
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport is the international airport of Tehran, the capital of Iran. It is located 2 kilometers (1 mi) of Vahnabad and 35 kilometres southwest of Tehran and is named for Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's first supreme leader. The airport is operated by Imam Khomeini Airport City Company. It covers 13,400 hectares and has two terminals and two runways. All international flights into Tehran are served by the airport, and all domestic flights land at Mehrabad Airport. Imam Khomeini Airport is a hub for four airlines. As of the fiscal year ending on 20 March 2019, it ranked third in terms of passenger traffic in Iran.
Afriqiyah Airways is a Libyan state-owned airline based in Tripoli, Libya. It was established in 2001 and operates both domestic and international flights. The airline's main hub is Tripoli International Airport (TIP), and it serves a wide range of destinations across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Mitiga International Airport is an airport that serves Tripoli, Libya, located about 8 kilometres east of Tripoli's city centre. Since 2018 it has been the sole international airport serving Tripoli following the closure of Tripoli International Airport after it was severely damaged in the second Libyan civil war.
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.
Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport is an international airport of Bordeaux, in southwestern France. It is situated in the commune of Mérignac, 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Bordeaux, within the département of the Gironde. It mainly features flights to metropolitan and leisure destinations in Europe, Northern Africa, and Canada, and serves as a base for easyJet and Volotea.
Air France, stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. As of 2013, Air France served 29 destinations in France and operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 201 destinations in 78 countries and also carried 46,803,000 passengers in 2019. The airline's global hub is at Charles de Gaulle Airport, with Orly Airport as the primary domestic hub. Air France's corporate headquarters, previously in Montparnasse, Paris, are located at the Roissypôle complex on the grounds of Charles de Gaulle Airport, north of Paris.
RwandAir Limited is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda. It operates domestic and international services to East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from its main base at Kigali International Airport in Kigali.
Fast Colombia S.A.S., trading as Viva Air Colombia and formerly VivaColombia, was a Colombian ultra low-cost airline based in Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia. It was a subsidiary of Irelandia Aviation and, as of its bankruptcy in March 2023, the third largest airline in the country. The company was not legally affiliated with Mexico's Viva Aerobus, another low-cost carrier co-founded by Irelandia which also uses the "Viva" brand, although they did have a codeshare agreement for their flights. The company filed for insolvency in February 2023, and on February 27, 2023, the airline suspended, and eventually ceased, all operations, citing rising fuel prices and Aerocivil's failure to approve its planned acquisition by Avianca.
Nordic Regional Airlines Oy is a Finnish regional airline based on the grounds of Helsinki Airport. Norra is owned as a joint venture by Finnair, Finland's flag carrier, and Danish Air Transport.
Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A., doing business as ITA Airways, is the flag carrier of Italy. It is owned by the Government of Italy via the Ministry of Economy and Finance and was founded in 2020 as bankrupt Alitalia's successor. The airline flies to over 70 scheduled domestic, European, and intercontinental destinations. ITA is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Its main hub is Rome Fiumicino Airport near Rome and focus city is Linate Airport near Milan. ITA Airways will leave SkyTeam and join Star Alliance as part of the process of its acquisition by Lufthansa Group.
SKS Airways is a regional airline based in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Founded in November 2017, the airline received its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) in October 2021 and began its first commercial operations on January 25, 2022, with a flight from Subang to Pangkor. Its flights have been suspended since November 2023.
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