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Transport company with preferential status
This article is about transport companies having flag-carrier status. For a naval ship which carries the flag, see flagship. For a person who carries the flag, see Flag bearer. For other uses, see Flag carrier (disambiguation).
"National airline" redirects here. For a list of airlines named National, see National Airlines (disambiguation).
A Boeing 777-200LR of Dubai-based Emirates, one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates.
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.
Historically, the term was used to refer to airlines owned by the government of their home country and associated with the national identity of that country.[1] Such an airline may also be known as a national airline or a national carrier, although this can have different legal meanings in some countries. Today, it is any international airline with a strong connection to its home country or that represents its home country internationally, regardless of whether it is government-owned.[2][3]
Flag carriers may also be known as such due to laws requiring aircraft or ships to display the state flag of the country of their registry.[4] For example, under the law of the United States, a U.S. flag air carrier is any airline that holds a certificate under Section 401 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (i.e., any U.S.-based airline operating internationally),[5] and any ship registered in the United States is known as a U.S. flag vessel.[6]
^Morris, Hugh (17 March 2019). "The slow death of the flag carrier: Could state-owned airlines become a thing of the past?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Malaysia is the latest nation to see its flag carrier – a label that in times gone by indicated a government-owned airline, and one that embodied a country's national identity – teeter on the brink.
^McMurtry, Ian (25 May 2018). "Palestinian Airlines: The Homeless Flag Carrier". AirlineGeeks.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
^Moores, Victoria (24 May 2019). "Interview: CEO aims to make Virgin Atlantic UK's second flag carrier". atwonline.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
^"flag carrier definition". Businessdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
^"List of U.S. Flag Air Carriers". www.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
^"USOcean.com – U.S. Flag Carrier". Retrieved 12 June 2019.
A flagcarrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential...
The term 'legacy carrier' has generally not been used outside the United States. Many other countries have long-established flagcarriers that are or were...
Airlines Co., Ltd. (日本航空株式会社, Nihon Kōkū Kabushiki-gaisha, JAL) is the flagcarrier of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are...
commonly shortened to Lufthansa (German: [ˈlʊftˌhanza] ), serves as the flagcarrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it stands as the second-largest...
is an Indian low-cost airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian flagcarrier airline Air India. Currently it is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana...
Riyadh Air (Arabic: طيران الرياض) is a planned second flagcarrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh. The airline's main hub will be at King Khalid International...
(pronounced [iˈtaːlia traˈspɔrto aˈɛːreo]), dba ITA Airways, is the flagcarrier of Italy. It is owned by the Government of Italy via the Ministry of...
KM Malta Airlines Ltd is the flagcarrier airline of Malta headquartered in Luqa. It replaced its predecessor Air Malta on 31 March 2024 and serves destinations...
as the largest hub for Saudia, the Saudi flagcarrier, and as an operating base for national low-cost carriers Flynas and Flyadeal. Before the construction...
briefing on its modernisation strategy. In January 2022, Luxembourg flagcarrier Luxair expressed interest in the A220-500 as the airline sought to simplify...
Serbia (stylised as AirSERBIA; Serbian: Ер Србија / Er Srbija) is the flagcarrier of Serbia. The company's headquarters is located in Belgrade, Serbia...
at Malta International Airport. It operated services as the country's flagcarrier to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Air Malta...
Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flagcarrier airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution...
British Airways plc (BA) is the flagcarrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport...
Flagcarriers, the historically nationally owned airlines that were considered representative of the country overseas. Legacy carriers, US carriers that...
To Montenegro a.d. (stylised as ToMontenegro and 2Montenegro), is the flagcarrier of Montenegro, which is branded and operates under the name Air Montenegro...
al-Duwalī) is an international airport in Qatar, and the home of the national flagcarrier airline, Qatar Airways. Located east of the capital, Doha, it replaced...
script. Cambodia Angkor Air (Khmer: កម្ពុជា អង្គរ អ៊ែរ) is the national flagcarrier airline of Cambodia, with its corporate headquarters and main hub in...
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flagcarrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and...
hàng không Quốc gia Việt Nam, lit. 'Vietnam National Airlines') is the flagcarrier of Vietnam. The airline was founded in 1956 and later established as...
Scandinavian Airlines, more commonly known and styled as SAS, is the flagcarrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. SAS is an abbreviation of the company's...
پیآئیاے) is an international airline which is the government-owned flagcarrier of Pakistan. Its primary hub is Karachi's Jinnah International Airport...
fʁɑ̃s]; formally Société Air France, S.A.), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flagcarrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of...
Swiss International Air Lines AG, stylized as SWISS, is the flagcarrier of Switzerland and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, as well as a Star Alliance...
Zhōnghuá Hángkōng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tiong-hôa Hâng-khong) is the state-owned flagcarrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines...
(Arabic: القطرية, al-Qaṭariya), operating as Qatar Airways, is the flagcarrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline...
TAP Air Portugal is the flagcarrier of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses –...
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