What is Flag Airline

The flag carrier label applies to those airlines that are managed by a state. They began to be called this way in the 1950s, when large national airlines incorporated a logo associated with the flag of the country. Aerolineas Argentinas, Air France, Iberia or Japan Airlines are some examples of this type of company.

At present, many of these airlines have ceased to be state-owned and have passed into private hands. Despite this, most of them keep the national flag as a distinctive.

In any case, they are generally the most representative airlines of each country.

It should be noted that these types of airlines usually have affiliate companies with other names (for For example, Austral Lineas Aereas is a subsidiary of Aerolineas Argentinas and Iberia Express is a subsidiary of Iberia).

A significant number of flag companies ceased to be state-owned because they were not profitable and because they caused high losses in the state coffers.

A government strategy to promote the country's image

The phenomenon of flag carriers began for two fundamental reasons: 1) only states could face the high costs of air navigation and 2) the incorporation of the flag on airplanes meant a good strategy commercial to promote the tourism national abroad.

Other airline names

The aeronautical sector presents all kinds of companies. Charter calls are those that rent a airplane to another company to carry out their commercial routes. They are mostly companies dedicated to transport of tourists.

Low cost airlines are those that offer very low prices on tickets and for this they apply a politics cost reduction in all its services (feeding, luggage, etc.).

A cargo airline is one that focuses its activity on the transport of goods and uses used airplanes for this.

On the other hand, there are also large-scale airlines, network airlines or regional ones. Each of them has a uniqueness:

- The regional ones operate with small-sized planes and make short routes.

- The network companies have a fleet of aircraft of very different sizes and combine all types of flights.

- Those of great scale focus on international flights.

In this sense, a company can be large-scale and, at the same time, flagship.

Photos: Fotolia - Axellwolf / Giordano Aita

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