Leading airlines worldwide based on total number of passengers 2020

This statistic depicts the leading airline groups worldwide in 2020, based on passenger traffic. In that year, the ranking was dominated by Chinese airlines: China Southern topped the list, with 96.85 million passengers.

Two decades of growth wiped out in a couple of months

The coronavirus pandemic had a devastating impact on the airline industry, erasing decades of growth in just a couple of months. The restrictions imposed by governments around the world to restrain the spread of the novel coronavirus led to a 66 percent decrease in global air traffic. In 2020, 56 percent less flights were performed worldwide, while the number of passengers dropped by 61 percent to reach only 1.7 billion.

Asian airlines are dominating the airline market

Despite financial problems, four out of the top ten busiest airlines in the world were based in Asia. The rising middle classes in emerging economies are expected to help global air traffic grow at an average annual growth rate of four percent till 2040. Such emerging regions, particularly China, are on the cusp of becoming key markets for the aviation industry. In 2019, Chinese tourists spent a staggering 254.6 billion US dollars during their holidays outside their home country.