Largest Airlines by Passengers 1960–2026

In Jan 1960, the leading Airlines in this dataset were Aeroflot (16.00M), United Airlines (12.05M), Eastern Air Lines (8.96M). By Nov 2026, the leaders were American Airlines (253.45M), Ryanair (208.00M), Delta Air Lines (206.00M).

1. 9 Feb 1963 — ✈️ Three engines. A new era. The Boeing 727 makes its first flight. Its rear-mounted engines and high-lift wings help bring jet service to smaller airports. United Boeing 727-22 N7029U: a representative early 727 model, not the first-flight aircraft or photograph. Image: Richard Vandervord — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
2. 9 Apr 1967 — ✈️ The 737 takes off. The first Boeing 737 flies from Seattle, beginning an aircraft family that will become a backbone of short-haul airline travel. Original 737 prototype in Boeing colours; aircraft portrait, not a claim that the photograph records the maiden flight. Image: Photo n. P43320 released by The Boeing Company — Public domain. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
3. 22 Jan 1970 — ✈️ The jumbo era begins. Pan Am launches the first Boeing 747 passenger service, from New York to London. Air travel enters the jumbo-jet age. Clipper Victor, the aircraft used for the inaugural service, photographed in 1977. Image: Paul Seymour — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
4. 18 Jun 1971 — ✈️ Three planes. Three Texas cities. Southwest starts flying between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, planting the seeds of a low-fare airline giant. A Southwest 737-200 in its earlier desert-gold livery, photographed in 1995; representative aircraft, not the 1971 launch. Image: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
5. 28 Oct 1972 — ✈️ Airbus enters the sky. The A300 makes its first flight: the world’s first twin-engine widebody airliner. A new rival to the American manufacturers has arrived. Manufacturer archive photograph captioned as the first flight. Image: Airbus — Copyright Airbus; editorial archive image, no open license asserted. Resized for this interactive. Source
6. 21 Jan 1976 — ✈️ Passengers go supersonic. British Airways and Air France launch scheduled Concorde services. Passengers can now travel at twice the speed of sound. British Airways Concorde photographed in July 1977, during its early passenger-service era. Image: Jon Proctor — GFDL 1.2. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
7. 24 Oct 1978 — ✈️ The fare wars begin. The Airline Deregulation Act starts dismantling US federal controls over fares and routes, reshaping competition between airlines. President Carter signing the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act. Image: Kightlinger, Jack E. — Public domain. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
8. 23 Jul 1983 — ✈️ No fuel. A remarkable landing. After running out of fuel, an Air Canada Boeing 767 glides to an emergency landing at Gimli. Everyone aboard survives. The actual Gimli Glider C-GAUN in 1984, after repair and return to service. Image: Andrew Thomas from Shrewsbury, UK — CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
9. 22 Feb 1987 — ✈️ A new kind of cockpit. The A320 makes its first flight with digital fly-by-wire controls and sidesticks, helping redefine the modern airliner cockpit. Manufacturer archive photograph captioned as the first flight. Image: Airbus — Copyright Airbus; editorial archive image, no open license asserted. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
10. 4 Dec 1991 — ✈️ An aviation icon disappears. Pan Am ceases operations after decades of pioneering international air travel. Its last revenue flight arrives in Miami. Pan Am Boeing 727 archival aircraft portrait; not a claim to depict the final flight. Image: Pedro Aragão — CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
11. Jun 1995 — ✈️ Meet the Triple Seven. United introduces the Boeing 777 into passenger service. The long-haul twinjet will become a familiar sight around the world. A United 777 photographed in December 1995; same entry-into-service year, not the inaugural flight. Image: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
12. 11 Sept 2001 — ✈️ America’s skies fall silent. After the September 11 attacks, the FAA stops departures and orders airborne civilian traffic to land. Airline security changes profoundly. Map of Canadian diversion airports used by Operation Yellow Ribbon after the US ground stop, not a photograph. Image: Redgeographics — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
13. 24 Oct 2003 — ✈️ The end of supersonic service. British Airways operates its final Concorde passenger flights. The supersonic airliner era comes to an end. British Airways Concorde G-BOAD at Heathrow in May 2003, its final passenger-service year; not the last flight itself. Image: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
14. 25 Oct 2007 — ✈️ The world’s largest airliner. Singapore Airlines launches the first Airbus A380 passenger service, from Singapore to Sydney. Two full decks take to the skies. Singapore Airlines first A380 9V-SKA; related aircraft photograph. Image: Terence Ong — CC BY 3.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
15. 15 Jan 2009 — ✈️ Miracle on the Hudson. After bird strikes disable both engines, the crew lands Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. All 155 people aboard survive. US Coast Guard photograph of the actual Flight 1549 rescue, 15 January 2009. Image: Photo by Chris Gardner, USACE New York District Public Affairs — Public domain. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
16. Apr 2010 — ✈️ One volcano stops the sky. Ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull closes much of Europe’s airspace. More than 100,000 flights are cancelled during the crisis. Actual Eyjafjallajökull ash plume on 17 April 2010. Image: Boaworm — CC BY 3.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
17. 26 Oct 2011 — ✈️ The Dreamliner carries passengers. ANA operates the first Boeing 787 passenger flight, a Tokyo–Hong Kong charter. Composite construction opens a new chapter in long-haul flying. ANA launch aircraft JA801A photographed in 2011; related aircraft image, not the inaugural charter. Image: BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
18. 8 Mar 2014 — ✈️ A flight disappears. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappears while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard, triggering a vast international search. The actual aircraft 9M-MRO photographed at Narita in 2009, before its disappearance. Image: Kentaro Iemoto from Tokyo, Japan — CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
19. 13 Mar 2019 — ✈️ The MAX is grounded. Following two fatal crashes, the FAA grounds the Boeing 737 MAX, joining other regulators. A worldwide fleet is taken out of service. Actual grounded MAX aircraft at Boeing Field in April 2019. Image: SounderBruce — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
20. Mar 2020 — ✈️ Airliners fill parking lots. Travel restrictions and collapsing demand ground aircraft around the world. The pandemic brings an unprecedented shock to passenger aviation. KLM aircraft parked on a Schiphol runway during the 2020 pandemic grounding. Image: Ikreis — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
21. 28 May 2023 — ✈️ A new challenger enters service. China Eastern operates the C919’s first commercial flight, from Shanghai to Beijing. China’s new narrowbody enters the passenger market. China Eastern B-919A on 23 May 2023, five days before commercial debut. Image: N509FZ — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2
22. 30 Jan 2025 — ✈️ Air travel breaks its old record. IATA reports that global passenger traffic in 2024 exceeded 2019 levels. Measured in passenger-kilometres, demand is 3.8% above the pre-pandemic peak. Heathrow in 2024, illustrating recovering air travel; not a picture of the IATA announcement. Image: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this interactive. Source Source 2