List of government-owned airlines

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.

Current government-owned airlines

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Airline Country Stake
Aeroflot   Russian Federation As of March 2020: 51%[1]
Aerogaviota   Cuba 100% [citation needed]
Aerolíneas Argentinas   Argentina As of December 2014: 100%[2]
Afriqiyah Airways   Libya 100%[3]
Air Algérie   Algeria As of December 2013: 100%[4]
Air Astana   Kazakhstan 51%
Air Botswana   Botswana 100% [citation needed]
Air Calédonie   New Caledonia (France) 52.45% [citation needed]
Air Canada   Canada 6.4%
Air China   China 53.46%[5]
Air Côte d'Ivoire   Ivory Coast As of April 2017: 58%[6]
Air Djibouti   Djibouti Djibouti Government minor shareholder[7]
Air France   France 28.6% (through the Air France–KLM holding company). Dutch state has a 9.3% stake[8]
Air Greenland (Greenlandair)   Greenland 100% [9]
Air Kiribati   Kiribati 100%[10]
Air Koryo   North Korea 100%
Air Macau   Macau 66.9% Air China (majority shareholder - Chinese government)
5% (minority shareholder - government of Macau)[11]
Air Madagascar   Madagascar
Air Mauritius   Mauritius
Air New Zealand   New Zealand As of March 2020: 52%[12]
Air Niugini   Papua New Guinea 60%[11]
Air Serbia   Serbia 100%[13]
Air Seychelles   Seychelles 100%
Air Tanzania   Tanzania 100%
Air Zimbabwe   Zimbabwe 100%[14]
AirBaltic   Latvia 80%
Aircalin   New Caledonia 100%
Alliance Air (India)   India 100%
Ariana Afghan Airlines   Afghanistan 100%
Arkaim   Russia
Aurigny   Guernsey 100%
Azerbaijan Airlines   Azerbaijan 100%
Bahamasair   Bahamas 100%
Belavia   Belarus 100%
Biman Bangladesh Airlines   Bangladesh At least 51%
Boliviana de Aviación   Bolivia 100%
Cambodia Angkor Air   Cambodia 51%
Caribbean Airlines   Trinidad and Tobago 100%
Cathay Pacific   Hong Kong 6%
Cayman Airways   Cayman Islands 100%
China Airlines   Republic of China 31.05% China Aviation Development Foundation (CADF)
8.64% National Development Fund (NDF)[15]
Conviasa   Venezuela 100%
Croatia Airlines   Croatia 100%
Cubana de Aviación   Cuba 100%
Druk Air   Bhutan 100%
Dubai Royal Air Wing   Government of Dubai (UAE) 100%
EgyptAir   Egypt 100%
Emirates   Government of Dubai (UAE) 100%
Eritrean Airlines   Eritrea 80% Eritrean government
20% Ethiopia Airlines (Ethiopian government)
Ethiopian Airlines   Ethiopia 100%
Etihad Airways   Government of Abu Dhabi (UAE) 100%
Fiji Airways   Fiji 52%
Finnair   Finland 55.8%
Flydubai   Government of Dubai (UAE) 100%
Garuda Indonesia   Indonesia 60.54%
Gulf Air   Bahrain
Heli Air Monaco   Monaco 100%[16]
Iran Air   Iran 60%
Iraqi Airways   Iraq 100%
ITA Airways   Italy 100%[17]
KM Malta Airlines   Malta 100%
KLM   Netherlands 9.3% (through the Air France–KLM holding company).
French state has a 28.6% stake[18]
Kuwait Airways   Kuwait 100%
LADE   Argentina 100%
LAM Mozambique Airlines   Mozambique 100%
Lao Airlines   Laos 100%
Libyan Airlines   Libya 100%
LOT Polish Airlines   Poland 100%[19]
Malaysia Airlines   Malaysia 100%[20]
Mandarin Airlines   Taiwan Fully owned subsidiary of Taiwan's China Airlines
Mexicana de Aviación   Mexico
MIAT Mongolian Airlines   Mongolia
Middle East Airlines   Lebanon 100%
Myanmar National Airlines   Myanmar 100%
Myanmar Airways International   Myanmar
Nauru Airlines   Nauru
Nepal Airlines   Nepal
Nordica   Estonia
Oman Air   Oman
Pakistan International Airlines   Pakistan
Qatar Airways   Qatar
Qatar Amiri Flight   Qatar
Qatar Executive   Qatar
RAM Cargo   Morocco
Régie Malagache   Madagascar
Riyadh Air   Saudi Arabia 100%[21]
Rossiya   Russia
Royal Air Maroc   Morocco
Royal Brunei Airlines   Brunei
Royal Jordanian   Jordan
RwandAir   Rwanda
Satena   Colombia
Saudia   Saudi Arabia
Singapore Airlines   Singapore 55.53%[22]
Solomon Airlines   Solomon Islands 100%[23]
SriLankan Airlines   Sri Lanka 99.11%[24]
Sudan Airways   Sudan 79.00%[25]
Surinam Airways   Suriname 100%[26]
Syrian Air   Syria 100%
TAAG Angola Airlines   Angola 90.00%[27]
TAP Portugal   Portugal 97.75% (91.8% directly owned by the government and the remaining 8.2% owned by the TAP Group, where the government has a total share of 72.5%)[28]
TAROM   Romania 97.22%[29]
Thai Airways International   Thailand 51.00%[30]
Tunisair   Tunisia [31][32]
Turkmenistan Airlines   Turkmenistan
Uganda Airlines   Uganda 100%[33]
Uzbekistan Airways   Uzbekistan
Vietnam Airlines   Vietnam 86.10%[34]
Yemenia   Yemen 51.00%[35]

List of former government-owned airlines

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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
Czech Airlines   Czech Republic 2024 Shut down
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]
2.1% (Norwegian government)[55]
14.82% (Swedish 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]

See also

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References

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