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 that 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]
Background
The term "flag carrier" is a legacy of the early days of commercial aviation when governments often took the lead by establishing state-owned airlines because of the high capital costs of running them. However, not all such airlines were government-owned; Pan Am, TWA, Cathay Pacific, Union de Transports Aériens, Canadian Pacific Air Lines and Olympic Airlines were all privately owned, but were considered to be flag carriers[7] as they were the "main national airline"[8] and often a sign of their country's presence abroad.[9][10]
List of flag-carrying airlines
The chart below lists airlines considered to be a "flag carrier", based on current or former state ownership or other verifiable designation as a national airline.
See also
External links
References
- Hugh Morris. The slow death of the flag carrier: Could state-owned airlines become a thing of the past? The Telegraph, 17 March 2019^
- Ian McMurtry. Palestinian Airlines: The Homeless Flag Carrier AirlineGeeks.com, 25 May 2018, retrieved 12 June 2019^
- Victoria Moores. Interview: CEO aims to make Virgin Atlantic UK's second flag carrier