Forbes Global 2000: The World’s Largest Airline & Aerospace Companies In 2022

2021 was the year of recovery for the world’s largest airline companies. Commercial airlines soared back up in the ranks of the 2022 Forbes Global 2000 list after a steep drop following the Covid-19 pandemic.

With travel restrictions being lifted and offices opening up, business and leisure travel demand has picked up. Airline companies have been scrambling to meet that demand through training and hiring more pilots and staff.

“We had several thousand pilots go out on the long-term leaves with COVID. The chief constraint right now is on the pilot side,” said Southwest CEO Bob Jordan in an earnings call last month. “Key to our recovery is our continued hiring progress, and we now plan to hire and add over 10,000 new employees to the Southwest family this year.”

Despite these conditions, Delta Air Lines managed to jump 101 spots to No.614. Southwest Airlines, the big winner, jumped 227 spots to No. 630 while United Airlines and American Airlines experienced a slower recovery in comparison.

Southwest Airlines booked $978 million in profits and Delta Airlines booked $516 million. United Airlines reported $1.9 billion in losses while American Airlines incurred $2.3 billion in losses.

The world’s largest aerospace company, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, No. 108 on the list, booked $3.8 billion in profit and $64.3 billion in sales in the year ending April 2022. The Massachusetts-based company was founded by three Cambridge scientists who focused on new refrigeration technology before shifting gears. Today it provides aerospace and intelligence services to ??commercial, military and government customers.

Netherlands-based Airbus Group is next in line after jumping ahead 275 spots to rank No. 121. Lockheed Martin, which topped the aerospace category last year, dropped 37 points to No. 171.

The outlook for the year in both airlines and aerospace industries looks promising. Digital innovations such as Advanced Air Mobility and advanced technologies such as nanosatellites will continue to drive growth in the aerospace industry according to a report by Deloitte. Pent-up demand and pandemic-driven lifestyle changes point to increased travel in 2022.