From February 2021 until today, we have seen a positive trend with more and more aircraft coming out of temporary storage. At the moment, the total global fleet counts 27,609 aircraft, out of which 20,027 are active and 7,582 grounded. If we compare these numbers to April 2021, we can see the number of active aircraft has increased slightly, while the number of grounded aircraft has decreased but marginally.

Asia and North America continue to have the highest number of active aircraft for the fifth month in a row. Asia counts 7,361 active aircraft, a 2.6% decrease compared to April 2021. North America counts 6,360 active aircraft followed by Europe with 4,416 while Africa counts 778, South America 736, and Oceania 646. Europe has seen the highest jump where the number of active aircraft has increased by 8%, compared to last month’s figures.

Continent active grounded total
Africa 778 506 1284
Asia 7361 2587 9948
Europe 4146 2386 6532
North America 6360 1568 7928
Oceania 646 160 806
South America 736 375 1111
Grand Total 20027 7582 27609

China takes the lead again when it comes to the TOP 10 countries with the highest percentage of active aircraft. With a total fleet of 3,803 aircraft, 92.87% are active, meaning China currently has 3,832 aircraft flying. The list also includes Japan, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Netherlands, the United States of America, Poland, Taiwan (Province of China), Mexico and Australia.

Country active grounded total % active
China 3532 271 3803 92,87%
Japan 563 62 625 90,08%
Ethiopia 96 13 109 88,07%
New Zealand 100 18 118 84,75%
Netherlands (the) 186 34 220 84,55%
United States of America (the) 5495 1029 6524 84,23%
Poland 129 25 154 83,77%
Taiwan (Province of China) 170 33 203 83,74%
Mexico 263 57 320 82,19%
Australia 458 101 559 81,93%

 

Indonesia leads the TOP 10 countries with the highest percentage of grounded fleets by airline, with 70.03% of their fleet grounded. The list is followed by Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Iran, Sweden, and Canada.

Country active grounded total % grounded
Indonesia 190 444 634 70,03%
Hong Kong 73 161 234 68,80%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) 249 510 759 67,19%
Nigeria 41 70 111 63,06%
Thailand 103 172 275 62,55%
Malaysia 121 137 258 53,10%
Philippines (the) 105 116 221 52,49%
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 120 127 247 51,42%
Sweden 92 87 179 48,60%
Canada 411 377 788 47,84%

We have also analysed lessors with more than 50 aircraft in their fleets to determine the top 25 with the highest percentage of active aircraft in their portfolios. Here is the list:

We have used 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.