The total global fleet size is still under the influence of the worldwide pandemic. At the beginning of April, the total global fleet size counts 27,538; out of which 19,709 are active and 7,829 grounded. If we compare these numbers to March 2021, we can see the number of grounded aircraft has slightly increased.
Asia and North America continue to have the highest number of active fleets for the fourth month in a row. Asia counts 7,552 active aircraft, which is a 2% decrease in the number of active aircraft compared to March 2021. North America counts 6,183 active aircraft and is followed by Europe with 3,841, while Africa counts 783, South America 718 and Oceania 632.
| Continent | active | grounded | total |
| Africa | 783 | 504 | 1287 |
| Asia | 7552 | 2382 | 9934 |
| Europe | 3841 | 2697 | 6538 |
| North America | 6183 | 1686 | 7869 |
| Oceania | 632 | 171 | 803 |
| South America | 718 | 389 | 1107 |
| Grand Total | 19709 | 7829 | 27538 |
We have compared the numbers of a total active fleet for January, February, March and April 2021 with the same months in the previous year. Take a look at the graphs showing the comparison:
China takes the lead when it comes to the TOP 10 countries with the highest percentage of active fleets. With a total fleet of 3,790 aircraft, 90.92% are active, meaning China currently has 3,446 aircraft flying. The list also includes Japan, Ethiopia, Taiwan (number one on the list in March 2021), the United States of America, Mexico, India, Qatar, New Zealand and Australia.
| country | active | grounded | total | % active |
| China | 3446 | 344 | 3790 | 90.92% |
| Japan | 553 | 75 | 628 | 88.06% |
| Ethiopia | 101 | 15 | 116 | 87.07% |
| Taiwan (Province of China) | 172 | 31 | 203 | 84.73% |
| United States of America (the) | 5360 | 1117 | 6477 | 82.75% |
| Mexico | 262 | 55 | 317 | 82.65% |
| India | 588 | 131 | 719 | 81.78% |
| Qatar | 175 | 39 | 214 | 81.78% |
| New Zealand | 96 | 22 | 118 | 81.36% |
| Australia | 441 | 114 | 555 | 79.46% |
Hong Kong leads the list of TOP 10 countries with the highest percentage of grounded fleets by an airline, with 68.20% of their fleet grounded. The list is followed by the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sweden, Canada, Italy, Iran (the Islamic Republic of) and Singapore, all of them having more than 50.00% of their fleet grounded.
| country | active | grounded | total | % grounded |
| Hong Kong | 76 | 163 | 239 | 68.20% |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) | 252 | 511 | 763 | 66.97% |
| Nigeria | 37 | 69 | 106 | 65.09% |
| Malaysia | 114 | 143 | 257 | 55.64% |
| Philippines (the) | 104 | 116 | 220 | 52.73% |
| Sweden | 88 | 96 | 184 | 52.17% |
| Canada | 372 | 405 | 777 | 52.12% |
| Italy | 70 | 71 | 141 | 50.35% |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 125 | 121 | 246 | 49.19% |
| Singapore | 110 | 106 | 216 | 49.07% |
Once again, we have analysed lessors with more than 50 aircraft in their fleet. Here is an updated list of the top 25 with the most active aircraft in their portfolio.
We use ch-aviation fleets advanced and fleets ownership data for this analysis. To get full and detailed insights on active and inactive aircraft, visit the following LINK.
