The aviation industry is booming. Passenger numbers have exceeded 2019's pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, with 9.4 billion people taking to the skies in 2024 and the level expected to rise again in 2025.
To celebrate this exciting resurgence of aviation, we’ve unearthed some awesome trivia about the biggest names in the industry.
Strap yourself in and discover some of the most fascinating facts about the world’s leading airlines by clicking through this gallery…
Dutch operator KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the oldest airline still running under its original name. The ‘KLM’ stands for Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, which means Royal Aviation Company.
Founded in 1919, the airline began operating flights between London and Amsterdam the following year. Today, it’s part of the Air France-KLM group, following a merger in 2004. Flights still operate under the KLM brand.
Until the early 1970s, flying meant a choice between pricey first class or basic economy. But during that decade, several airlines realised that business travellers wanted something in between, with premium service but at a lower price than first class.
In 1979, Qantas was the first to market a dedicated business class ticket. It offered wider, more comfortable seats, improved food options and free drinks, as well as access to a lounge. Pictured is one of its current business class seats.
In 1960, 12-year-old Bonnie Tiburzi took her first flying lesson and within a few years was a skilled aviator. She joined American Airlines in 1973, at the age of 24, becoming the first female hired as a pilot by a major US airline. She retired on her 50th birthday.
Of course, women have a far longer connection with aviation. For example, Raymonde de Laroche was the first woman to receive a pilot's license, back in 1910.
Actually, the Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair started off with just £1 ($1.36) of share capital, which was the minimal amount required used to incorporate the company in 1984. The fledgling airline had one 15-seater plane and 25 staff.
It operated two flights a day between Waterford, Ireland and London Gatwick. Cabin crew had to be less than five-foot-two-inches-tall (157cm) to fit onto the tiny plane. Seen here is Jane O'Keeffe, Ryanair’s one-millionth passenger, in 1988.
In 1987, American Airlines removed a single olive from each plate of salad served in first class. The total saving was reportedly a whopping £29,400 ($40,000) a year – and it became a lesson for all businesses on the value of cost reduction, even on supposedly insignificant expenses.
In 2011, Northwest Airlines adopted a similar cost-cutting strategy and saved £367,300 ($500,000) a year by cutting its limes into 16 slices instead of 10.
Nowadays, many travellers opt to check-in digitally and save time at the airport. This is a relatively new invention, though not as new as you might think. In September 1999, Alaska Airlines was the first operator to offer online check-in as the dot-com era boomed.
The first customer to use the service, Kathy Bloom, was part of a tech company trialling the process. She said at the time. “I found the process easy and quick, and I'm for anything that will save time at the airport.” We couldn’t agree more, Kathy.
British pop sensation Spice Girls launched their first album with Virgin Records in 1996. Fast forward to 2007 and Virgin Atlantic named a Boeing 747 jet in their honour to promote the group’s well-publicised reunion tour.
The name, Spice One, was chosen after the musical group held a competition online, inviting fans to submit their suggestions.
In 2011, Virgin Atlantic conducted a Facebook survey, in which 55% of women and 44% of men said they felt more emotional while on a plane. In response, the airline began issuing light-hearted warnings (pictured) at the beginning of particularly sad in-flight movies, advising viewers to keep a box of tissues at the ready and call if they needed a shoulder to cry on.
It’s thought that increased oxytocin levels during travel could lead to heightened emotions.
In news that’s probably not so shocking to UK readers, British Airways serves up nearly 40 million cups of tea per year. So, it was no surprise when in 2013 the carrier teamed up with beverage company Twinings to produce its own blend.
The signature tea was developed to taste as good as possible at 35,000 feet (10,668m), allowing for the fact that food and drink tastes different, due to reduced air pressure and humidity. In 2025, Birchall replaced Twinings as the airline’s tea provider.
You’ve probably heard of the film Snakes on a Plane. Now get ready for its budget spinoff: falcons on a flight. Believe it or not, these majestic feathered creatures are allowed on planes operated by several major carriers, including Qatar, Emirates, Etihad and Royal Jordanian Airlines.
That’s because falcons and falconry are an important part of Emirati heritage. To help regulate falconry practices, falcon passports were introduced in the UAE in 2002. Since then, over 28,000 have been issued.
Launched in 2014, the Etihad Residence is the most luxurious flying experience – but it doesn’t come cheap. Costing from approximately £37,000 ($50,000) for a one-way ticket from Dubai to New York, it’s the most expensive plane ticket in the world.
Included in the price is a three-room suite on the plane, a limo ride to the airport, personal butler service, access to Etihad’s first class lounge, gourmet dining and a queen-sized bed onboard.
Bette Nash holds the Guinness World Record for longest-serving flight attendant, with a career that spanned nearly 67 years. Pictured here in 2017, she began working as cabin crew at Eastern in November 1957.
Nash worked for American Airlines right up until 2024, when she lost her battle with breast cancer – never officially retiring from her role. In 2017, the airline marked Nash’s 60-year work anniversary by donating £7,300 ($10,000) to Sacred Heart Catholic Church Food Bank, where she regularly volunteered.
Lasting a total of 18 hours and 50 minutes, Singapore Airlines’ 9,537-mile (15,348km) flight from New York JFK to Singapore is the world’s longest direct flight. The route was added on 11 October 2018 – pictured here is one of the passengers on the inaugural flight.
Australia’s Qantas plans to exceed this with its Project Sunrise, which aims to introduce direct flights connecting Sydney and Melbourne with London and New York. Delayed by COVID-19, the ultra-long flights, taking up to 20 hours, are expected to take off in 2027.
On 9 February 2020, a British Airways flight between New York and London took four hours and 56 minutes, making it the fastest subsonic flight between the two cities. The average time for the route was recorded at just over six hours by flight tracking platform Flightradar24.
Strong winds from Storm Ciara helped the Boeing 747 reach a top speed of 825 miles per hour (1,328km/h). Two Virgin Atlantic flights also made the journey in five hours or less on the same night.
Even during the pandemic, the world’s most frequent flyer managed to rack up one million miles (1.6m km) in just nine months. Tom Stuker hit his most recent landmark of 24 million miles (38.6m km) on a total of 12,000 flights in May 2024.
In 1990, Stuker bought a ‘lifetime pass’ on United Airlines for £375,000 ($510,000), which gives him and a companion unlimited first-class flights forever. Stuker fell in love with flying after travelling to Australia for work in 1984 and since then he’s become a self-confessed “flying junkie”.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is the world’s largest by revenue, at £42.7 billion ($58bn), according to the latest financial data. America’s oldest operating airline, Delta served over 200 million passengers in 2024.
United Airlines and American Airlines rounded out the top three. The biggest non-US airline was Germany’s Lufthansa – coming in at number four with revenue of £28.7 billion ($39bn).
US airlines also rule the global rankings when it comes to the number of daily flights they offer. Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines leads the way, with the latest data showing the carrier operated 4,721 flights per day in February 2025. It serves 350 destinations in 48 countries.
Rounding out the top five are American carriers Delta and United, China Eastern Airlines and Ireland’s Ryanair.
While it’s close between the major US carriers and the stats do fluctuate, Chicago's United Airlines currently has the largest mainline fleet, with 1,037 aircraft. It passed 1,000 planes in January 2025. The top three is rounded out by American Airlines with more than 990 aircraft and Delta Air Lines with more than 985.
When regional fleets are included, the numbers are several hundred aircraft higher. Airlines add to their fleets all the time and retire older aircraft, so these figures are always changing.
Nervous flyers should book with Air New Zealand if they want to steady their nerves. The airline came top of AirlineRatings.com's safest airline rankings for 2025. The airline safety and product rating website evaluated factors such as serious incidents, fatal accidents, industry audits, pilot training and fleet age.
Air New Zealand edged out Qantas by just 1.5 points. Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Emirates were joint third. The safest low-cost airline was Hong Kong’s HK Express.
SKYTRAX has been running its World Airline Awards since 1999, and in that time Qatar Airways has won the best airline award nine times. The Doha-based carrier’s most recent win was in 2025.
Based on data from millions of travellers, the survey evaluated factors like comfort, fine cuisine, in-flight entertainment and punctuality. Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways came second and third respectively.
SKYTRAX’s 2025 survey also shed light on the airlines with the best cabin crew. This time, Singapore Airlines came out tops, with ANA All Nippon Airways and Cathay Pacific Airways rounding out the top three.
According to Singapore Airlines’ website, staff undergo a rigorous four-month training programme which is “one of the longest and most comprehensive in the airline industry”. The airline also won numerous other awards, including world's best first class and best airline in Asia.
SKYTRAX also surveys the quality of the low-cost, budget airlines. In its 2025 awards, AirAsia triumphed – for the 16th consecutive year. It also took the award for the best low-cost airline in Asia.
Singapore’s Scoot came second and India’s IndiGo third. Scoot, owned by Singapore Airlines Group, was also named the world’s best long haul low-cost airline.
When United Airlines flew the world’s first-ever passenger flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in December 2021, between Chicago O’Hare and Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport, it showed what a lower-emissions aviation future could look like.
Fast-forward to November 2023 and Virgin Atlantic went one better by flying the world's first transatlantic flight on 100% SAF from London Heathrow to New York JFK. The Boeing 787 flight marked a milestone in the industry – proving the sky really is the limit.
Now check out the groundbreaking planes that changed the way we travel