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Aviation glossary

Airline group

Also: airline holding company, aviation group

Airlines and business

Holding company that brings several airlines under one owner, with each usually keeping its own brand, operating certificate and airline codes.

What it is

Groups are formed through mergers and acquisitions, letting airlines pool aircraft purchasing, maintenance, loyalty programmes and networks while keeping brands that are well established in their home markets. They often combine traditional carriers, low-cost subsidiaries, regional airlines and cargo divisions.

Well-known examples include IAG, which brings together British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus; Air France-KLM, with Air France, KLM and Transavia; and the Lufthansa Group, with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, each alongside other carriers.

Because many countries restrict foreign ownership of their airlines, cross-border groups are structured so that each carrier meets the nationality and control rules that apply to it.

On Vuelopedia

An airline page on Vuelopedia shows the group it belongs to, if any.

Iberia Vueling Swiss International Air Lines

Related terms

AirlineCompany that carries passengers, cargo or mail by air for payment, holding an air operator certificate issued by its national aviation authority. Airline alliancePartnership of airlines that coordinate their networks, frequent flyer programmes, lounges and connections to give passengers a joined-up journey. Joint ventureAgreement in which two or more airlines run a set of routes together and share revenue or profit, acting as a single business in that market. Low-cost carrierAirline built around keeping costs down to sell cheap fares: a single aircraft type, high aircraft utilisation, one cabin class and extras charged separately. Flag carrierAirline historically identified with a particular country, often founded or part-owned by its government, and representing that country on international routes.
Whole glossary

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Airline group. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/airline-group

MLA

“Airline group.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/airline-group. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Airline group.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/airline-group.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Airline group. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/airline-group (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_airline_group,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Airline group}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/airline-group},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/airline-group}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/airline-group |title=Airline group |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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