Flag carrier facts for kids

A Boeing 777 airplane from Emirates, one of the main airlines of the United Arab Emirates.

A flag carrier is a special company, usually an airline or a shipping company. It's officially registered in a certain country and gets special rights from that country's government. These rights help the company operate flights or ships to other countries.

In the past, a flag carrier was often an airline owned by the government. It was seen as a symbol of that country's identity. People might call it a national airline or national carrier. Today, a flag carrier is any international airline that has a strong link to its home country. It represents its country around the world, even if the government doesn't own it anymore.

Sometimes, the name "flag carrier" also comes from laws. These laws might require planes or ships to display their country's flag. For example, in the United States, any airline that flies internationally is a "U.S. flag air carrier." Any ship registered there is a "U.S. flag vessel."

Why Countries Have Flag Carriers

An old Douglas DC-4 plane from El Al, Israel's flag carrier, in 1948.

The idea of a "flag carrier" started when commercial aviation was new. Governments often created their own airlines. This was because setting up an airline cost a lot of money.

But not all flag carriers were government-owned. Some famous airlines like Pan Am and Cathay Pacific were private. They were still seen as flag carriers because they were the main national airline. They showed their country's presence in other parts of the world.

The airline industry used to be very controlled by governments. Countries would make special deals about who could fly where. These deals, like the Bermuda I and Bermuda II agreements, only gave rights to airlines registered in that country. So, some governments started their own airlines. This helped them compete with foreign airlines. Some countries, like Israel with El Al, also created flag carriers for national pride. They also wanted to help their country's economy, especially with tourism.

Governments often helped their flag carriers grow. They gave them money or other benefits. Sometimes, they even stopped other local airlines from starting. This prevented direct competition. Even if private airlines were allowed, the flag carrier usually got special treatment. This was especially true for important flight routes.

Towards the end of the 1900s, many of these airlines changed. Some became public companies or state-owned businesses. Others were fully sold to private owners. The airline industry also became less controlled by governments. This allowed airlines more freedom to fly to different places. For example, the Open Skies agreement in the United States and European Union lets countries choose many airlines to fly international routes. This means a country might not have just one "flag carrier" anymore.

Some Flag-Carrying Airlines Around the World

Below is a list of airlines that are considered flag carriers. This is based on whether they are currently or were previously owned by their country's government, or if they are officially named a national airline.

Country or Region	Airline	Current or Former Government Link
Afghanistan	Ariana Afghan Airlines	State-owned
Albania	Air Albania	Partly owned by the state
Algeria	Air Algérie	State-owned
Angola	TAAG Angola Airlines	Mostly state-owned
Argentina	Aerolíneas Argentinas	State-owned
Australia	Qantas	Was state-owned until 1992
Austria	Austrian Airlines	Was state-owned until 2008
Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan Airlines	State-owned
Bahamas	Bahamasair	State-owned
Bahrain	Gulf Air	State-owned
Bangladesh	Biman Bangladesh Airlines	Was state-owned until 2007
Belarus	Belavia	State-owned
Bolivia	Boliviana de Aviación	State-owned
Botswana	Air Botswana	State-owned
Brunei	Royal Brunei Airlines	State-owned
Bulgaria	Bulgaria Air	Small part owned by the state
Canada	Air Canada	Was state-owned until 1989
Chile	LATAM Chile	Was state-owned until 1989
China	Air China	Mostly state-owned
Croatia	Croatia Airlines	Mostly state-owned
Cuba	Cubana de Aviación	State-owned
Denmark	Scandinavian Airlines	Jointly owned
Norway
Sweden
Egypt	Egyptair	State-owned
Ethiopia	Ethiopian Airlines	State-owned
Fiji	Fiji Airways	Mostly state-owned
Finland	Finnair	Mostly state-owned
France	Air France	Partly owned by the state
Germany	Lufthansa	Was state-owned until 1994
Guyana	Caribbean Airlines	Mostly owned by Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaica
Trinidad and Tobago
Hong Kong	Cathay Pacific	Small part owned by Hong Kong government
India	Air India	Was state-owned until 2021
Indonesia	Garuda Indonesia	Mostly state-owned
Iran	Iran Air	State-owned
Ireland	Aer Lingus	Was state-owned until 2006
Israel	El Al	Was state-owned until 2004
Italy	ITA Airways	State-owned
Japan	Japan Airlines	Was state-owned until 1987
Jordan	Royal Jordanian	Partly state-owned
Kazakhstan	Air Astana	Mostly state-owned
Kenya	Kenya Airways	Partly state-owned
Kuwait	Kuwait Airways	State-owned
Laos	Lao Airlines	State-owned
Latvia	airBaltic	Mostly state-owned
Lebanon	Middle East Airlines	Mostly state-owned
Libya	Afriqiyah Airways	State-owned
	Libyan Airlines	State-owned
Luxembourg	Luxair	Mostly state-owned
Malaysia	Malaysia Airlines	State-owned
Malta	KM Malta Airlines	Mostly state-owned
Mauritania	Mauritania Airlines	State-owned
Mexico	Aeroméxico	Was state-owned until 2007
Mongolia	MIAT Mongolian Airlines	State-owned
Montenegro	Air Montenegro	State-owned
Morocco	Royal Air Maroc	State-owned
Mozambique	LAM Mozambique Airlines	State-owned
Myanmar	Myanmar National Airlines	State-owned
Nauru	Nauru Airlines	State-owned
Nepal	Nepal Airlines	State-owned
Netherlands	KLM	Small part owned by the state
New Zealand	Air New Zealand	Mostly state-owned
North Korea	Air Koryo	State-owned
Oman	Oman Air	Mostly state-owned
Pakistan	Pakistan International Airlines	State-owned
Philippines	Philippine Airlines	Was state-owned until 1992
Poland	LOT Polish Airlines	State-owned
Portugal	TAP Air Portugal	Mostly state-owned
Qatar	Qatar Airways	State-owned
Romania	TAROM	Mostly state-owned
Russia	Aeroflot	Mostly state-owned
Rwanda	RwandAir	State-owned
Samoa	Samoa Airways	State-owned
Saudi Arabia	Saudia	Mostly state-owned
Serbia	Air Serbia	Mostly state-owned
Seychelles	Air Seychelles	State-owned
Singapore	Singapore Airlines	Mostly state-owned
South Africa	South African Airways	State-owned
South Korea	Korean Air	Was state-owned until 1969
Sri Lanka	SriLankan Airlines	State-owned
Sudan	Sudan Airways	State-owned
Suriname	Surinam Airways	State-owned
Syria	Syrian Air	State-owned
Taiwan	China Airlines	Mostly state-owned
Tajikistan	Tajik Air	State-owned
Tanzania	Air Tanzania	State-owned
Thailand	Thai Airways International	Partly state-owned
Tunisia	Tunisair	Mostly state-owned
Turkey	Turkish Airlines	Partly state-owned
Turkmenistan	Turkmenistan Airlines	State-owned
Uganda	Uganda Airlines	State-owned
United Arab Emirates	Etihad Airways	State-owned
	Emirates	State-owned
United Kingdom	British Airways	Was state-owned until 1987
Uzbekistan	Uzbekistan Airways	Mostly state-owned
Vietnam	Vietnam Airlines	Mostly state-owned
Vanuatu	Air Vanuatu	State-owned
Yemen	Yemenia	Mostly state-owned
Zimbabwe	Air Zimbabwe	State-owned

See also

• List of charter airlines
• List of low-cost airlines