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|rowspan=2| {{HKG}} || [[Cathay Pacific]] || No<ref name=CX /> || No<ref name=CX>Cathay Pacific used to fly the [[flag of the United Kingdom]]. Although not officially designated, it considers itself the de facto flag carrier of the territory. [http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200101/17/0117247.htm] </ref> || No
|rowspan=2| {{HKG}} || [[Cathay Pacific]] || No<ref name=CX /> || No<ref name=CX>Cathay Pacific used to fly the [[flag of the United Kingdom]].[http://www.swiremariners.com/cpabetsysml.jpg] Although not officially designated, it considers itself the de facto flag carrier of the territory. [http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200101/17/0117247.htm] It carries the [[Brand Hong Kong]] logo on fuselages of its crafts.[http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/040727/html/040727en06002.htm] </ref> || No
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| [[Dragonair]] || No || No<ref name=KA> Some of the crafts of Dragonair used to feature the [[flag of the United Kingdom]], and some featured the [[flag of Hong Kong#History|colonial flag of Hong Kong]].</ref> || No
| [[Dragonair]] || No || No<ref name=KA> Some of the crafts of Dragonair used to feature the [[flag of the United Kingdom]], and some featured the [[flag of Hong Kong#History|colonial flag of Hong Kong]].</ref> || No

Revision as of 16:41, 20 January 2008

A flag carrier or de facto flag carrier, refers to a transportation company, such as a shipping or airline company, that is registered in a given state or a state-run, state-owned or state-designated transport company or organization, specifically (though not universally required) showing the state flag apparent for public view. The fact that a certain airline should be so designated should be tied to the fact of whether that airline receives an unusual or non-standard subsidy compared to its national competitors. If it has no national competitors, then it is probably nationalized already. The following chart does not indicate the subsidy status of the various proposed flag carrier airlines.

Importance of flag carriers

The term "flag carrier" is a legacy of the time when most countries had a state-owned airline. However, many of these airlines have been privatised and the airline industry deregulated, allowing multiple airlines to compete within each country's market. This has rendered the term less important than it was in the past.

The legacy of flag carriers can still be seen by the restrictions in international air travel through bilateral in 1945 (Bermuda I) but revised in 1977 (Bermuda II) to redress the balance of air service advantage by limiting the number of airlines which could operate on certain routes.

Some countries (notably the United States of America) have legislation that requires the use of a national flag carrier, where possible, when travelling using government funds. One example is the Fly America Act.

List of national flag carriers

The chart below list the status of the three criteria to be considered a "flag carrier", designation as a national airlines either officially or based on history, whether it carries the national flag on its aircraft and whether it is state-owned.

Country Airline Designated Flies the flag State-owned
 Afghanistan Ariana Afghan Airlines Yes Yes Majority
 Albania Albanian Airlines Yes Yes Joint-Venture
 Algeria Air Algérie Yes Yes Full
 Angola TAAG Angola Airlines Yes Yes Full
 Antigua and Barbuda LIAT Yes No Majority
 Argentina Aerolíneas Argentinas Yes Yes Minority (5%)
 Armenia Armavia Yes Yes No
 Australia Qantas Yes Yes No
 Austria Austrian Airlines Yes Yes Minority (42,75%)
 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Airlines Yes Yes Full
 Bahamas Bahamasair Yes Yes Full
 Bahrain Gulf Air Yes [1] Yes Joint-Venture [1]
 Bangladesh Biman Bangladesh Airlines Yes Yes Full
 Belarus Belavia Yes Yes Full
 Belgium Brussels Airlines Yes Yes File:Tcollins 1039148.jpg No
 Benin Benin Golf Air Yes No No
 Bhutan Druk Air Yes Yes Full
 Bolivia Lloyd Aereo Boliviano Yes No Minority (48%)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina B&H Airlines Yes Yes Majority (51%)
 Botswana Air Botswana Yes No Full
 Brazil VARIG Yes Yes No
 Brunei Royal Brunei Airlines Yes Yes Full
 Bulgaria Bulgaria Air Yes No No
Hemus Air Yes No No
 Burkina Faso Air Burkina Yes No Majority
 Burundi Air Burundi Yes Yes Full
 Cambodia Royal Khmer Airlines Yes Yes Yes
 Cameroon Cameroon Airlines Yes
 Canada Air Canada Yes Yes Subsidized
 Cape Verde TACV Full
 Cayman Islands Cayman Airways Yes
 Chad Toumaï Air Tchad
 Chile LAN Airlines No No
 People's Republic of China Air China Yes Yes Majority
 Colombia Avianca Yes Yes
 Comoros Air Comores International
 Republic of the Congo Trans Air Congo
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Hewa Bora Airways
 Costa Rica Lacsa
 Ivory Coast Air Ivoire
 Croatia Croatia Airlines Yes Yes File:Croatia.arp.750pix.jpg Majority
 Cuba Cubana de Aviación Yes Yes File:Cubana Ил-96 at Madrid-Barajas Airport.jpg Full
 Cyprus Cyprus Airways Yes Yes Majority
 Czech Republic Czech Airlines Yes Yes Full
 Denmark Scandinavian Airlines System Yes [2] Yes Joint-Venture [2]
 Djibouti Air Djibouti
 Dominican Republic Air Dominicana Yes Yes Minority (33%)
 Ecuador TAME
 Egypt EgyptAir Yes Yes Yes
 El Salvador TACA
 Equatorial Guinea Ecuato Guineana
 Eritrea Eritrean Airlines Yes
 Estonia Estonian Air Yes Minority
 Ethiopia Ethiopian Airlines Yes
 Faroe Islands Atlantic Airways
 Fiji Air Pacific
 Finland Finnair Yes Yes Majority
 France Air France Yes [3] No Minority
 French Guiana Air Guyane Yes
 French Polynesia Air Tahiti Nui Yes Yes File:Croatia.arp.750pix.jpg
 Gabon Gabon Airlines
 Gambia Gambia International Airlines Yes
 Georgia Georgian Airways Yes
 Germany Lufthansa Yes Yes No
 Ghana Ghana International Airlines Yes Yes [4] File:Gia tail lgw small.jpg
 Greece Olympic Airlines Yes Yes [4]
 Greenland Air Greenland Yes Yes
 Guadeloupe Air Caraïbes
 Guam Continental Micronesia
 Guatemala Aviateca
 Guinea Air Guinee Express Yes
 Guinea-Bissau Guine Bissau Airlines
 Guyana Universal Airlines
 Haiti Tortug' Air
 Honduras TACA
 Hong Kong Cathay Pacific No[5] No[5] No
Dragonair No No[6] No
 Hungary Malév Yes Yes
 Iceland Icelandair Yes Yes No
 Indonesia Garuda Indonesia Yes Yes Full
 India Air India Yes Yes Full
 Iran Iran Air Yes Yes Full
 Iraq Iraqi Airways Yes
 Ireland Aer Lingus Yes Yes Minority (28%)
 Israel El Al Yes Yes Minority (30%)
 Italy Alitalia Yes No Minority (49%)
 Jamaica Air Jamaica Yes Yes
 Japan Japan Airlines Yes Yes Full
All Nippon Airways No Yes
 Jordan Royal Jordanian Airlines Yes Yes
 Kazakhstan Air Astana Yes Yes
 Kenya Kenya Airways Yes Yes
 Kiribati Air Kiribati Yes
 North Korea Air Koryo Yes Yes Full
 South Korea Korean Air Yes Yes
Asiana Airlines No Yes
 Kuwait Kuwait Airways Yes Yes
 Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Airlines Yes Yes
 Laos Lao Airlines Yes
 Latvia Air Baltic Yes
 Lebanon Middle East Airlines No
 Liberia Air Liberia Yes
 Libya Libyan Arab Airlines Yes
 Lithuania FlyLal Yes Yes
 Luxembourg Luxair Yes Yes
 Macau Air Macau Yes
 North Macedonia MAT Macedonian Airlines Yes
 Madagascar Air Madagascar Yes
 Malawi Air Malawi Yes
 Malaysia Malaysia Airlines Yes Yes
 Maldives Trans Maldivian Airways Yes
 Mali Air Mali International Yes
 Malta Air Malta Yes
 Marshall Islands Air Marshall Islands Yes
 Martinique Air Caraïbes
 Mauritania Mauritania Airways Minority (10%)
 Mauritius Air Mauritius Yes
 Mexico Aeroméxico
Mexicana Yes Yes File:Mexicana.JPG
 Federated States of Micronesia Continental Micronesia
 Moldova Air Moldova Yes
 Mongolia MIAT Mongolian Airlines Yes
 Montenegro Montenegro Airlines Yes
 Montserrat Air Montserrat
 Morocco Royal Air Maroc Yes
 Mozambique Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique Yes
 Myanmar Myanma Airways Yes Yes Yes
 Namibia Air Namibia Yes
 Nauru Air Nauru Yes
 Nepal Nepal Airlines Yes
 Netherlands KLM Yes Yes No
 Netherlands Antilles Bonaire Express
 New Caledonia Aircalin
 New Zealand Air New Zealand Yes Yes Majority
 Nicaragua NICA Yes
 Nigeria Virgin Nigeria Airways Yes
 Norway Scandinavian Airlines System Yes [2] Yes Minority [2]
 Oman Gulf Air Yes [1] Joint-Venture
Oman Air Yes Yes Minority (33%)
 Pakistan PIA Yes Yes Majority
 Palestine Palestinian Airlines Full
 Panama Copa Airlines Yes No
 Papua New Guinea Air Niugini
 Paraguay TAM Mercosur
 Peru Air Perú
 Philippines Philippine Airlines Yes Yes File:PAL 747&320.jpg Joint-Venture
 Poland LOT Polish Airlines Yes Yes Majority (67.97%) [7]
 Portugal TAP Portugal Yes Yes
 Qatar Qatar Airways Yes Yes
 Réunion Air Austral
 Romania TAROM Yes Yes Majority (95%)
 Russia Aeroflot No Yes Majority (51%)
 Rwanda Rwandair Express Yes
Template:Verify credibilityT Mustique Airways
 Samoa Polynesian Blue
 São Tomé and Príncipe Air São Tomé and Príncipe
 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian Airlines Yes Full
 Senegal Air Sénégal International Yes Yes
 Serbia Jat Airways Yes Yes Full [8]
 Seychelles Air Seychelles Yes
 Sierra Leone Sierra National Airlines
 Singapore Singapore Airlines Yes Yes Majority (54%)
 Slovakia Air Slovakia Yes
 Slovenia Adria Airways Yes
 Solomon Islands Solomon Airlines Yes
 Somalia Somali Airlines Yes
 South Africa South African Airways Yes Yes [4]
 Spain Iberia Yes Yes Minority (5%) [9]
Spanair No Yes No
 Sri Lanka SriLankan Airlines Yes Yes
 Sudan Sudan Airways Yes
 Suriname Surinam Airways Yes
 Sweden Scandinavian Airlines System Yes [2] Yes Joint-Venture [2]
swaziland Royal swazi airlines
 Switzerland Swiss International Air Lines Yes [4]
 Syria Syrian Arab Airlines Yes Yes Full
 Taiwan (Republic of China) China Airlines [10] Yes No
 Tajikistan Tajik Air Yes
 Tanzania Air Tanzania Yes
 Thailand Thai Airways International Yes Yes Majority (53%)
 Togo Air Togo Yes
 Tonga Peau Vava'u
 Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Airlines Yes Yes Full
 Tunisia Tunisair Yes Yes
 Turkey Turkish Airlines Yes Yes Majority
 Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Airlines Yes Yes
 Turks and Caicos Islands Air Turks and Caicos Yes
 Uganda Air Uganda Yes Yes
 Ukraine Ukraine International Airlines Yes Yes Majority
 United Arab Emirates Etihad Airways Yes No Yes [11]
Emirates Yes Yes Yes [12]
 United Kingdom British Airways[13] Yes Yes No
 United States All locally-registered airlines[14] No Yes No
 Uruguay PLUNA Yes Yes Minority (25%)
 Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Airways Yes Majority
 Vanuatu Air Vanuatu Yes Yes
 Venezuela Conviasa Yes No [4] Full
 Vietnam Vietnam Airlines Yes Yes [4] Full
 Yemen Yemenia Yes Yes
 Zambia Zambian Airways Yes
 Zimbabwe Air Zimbabwe Yes Yes

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Gulf Air is jointly owned by the governments of Bahrain and Oman, and is the flag carrier for both nations.
  2. ^ a b c d e f SAS is partly owned by the governments of Demark, Norway and Sweden, and is the flag carrier for all three nations.
  3. ^ France: Air France was (and is still considered by many) the designated national carrier before it was merged with the Dutch airlines, KLM.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Whether airlines displays an official national flag in its livery, it is incorporated in the livery design.
  5. ^ a b Cathay Pacific used to fly the flag of the United Kingdom.[1] Although not officially designated, it considers itself the de facto flag carrier of the territory. [2] It carries the Brand Hong Kong logo on fuselages of its crafts.[3]
  6. ^ Some of the crafts of Dragonair used to feature the flag of the United Kingdom, and some featured the colonial flag of Hong Kong.
  7. ^ "LOT Corporate Information". PLL LOT. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  8. ^ Jat Airways is currently in process of privatisation. Aeroflot is the most likely company to get a share in ownership.
  9. ^ http://grupo.iberia.es/portal/site/grupoiberia/menuitem.5dcd178a7f0a73be19736c10d21061ca/
  10. ^ China Airlines used to fly the flag of the Republic of China until 1995.
  11. ^ UAE: Etihad Airways is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, a constituent emirate of the UAE.
  12. ^ UAE: Emirates Airline is owned by the government of Dubai, a constituent emirate of the UAE.
  13. ^ UK: Even though Virgin Atlantic claimed they were the flag carrier of the United Kingdom after British Airways removed the Union Jack design from the tail livery in favor of world images, British Airways was actually created by an act of Parliament in 1972, merging BOAC and BEA under the newly formed British Airways board and eventually other separate airlines came together to form British Airways in 1974.
  14. ^ USA: The U.S. government has never officially recognized a single flag carrier, but Pan American was widely considered the de facto flag carrier before its 1991 bankruptcy.