Qantas, Emirates, Virgin Aus, Malaysia Airlines, Gaurda – these are just a handful of the airlines operating to and from Australia.
These days we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a carrier, with some 52 airlines carrying passengers to and from the country.
Not only do we have our two major carriers – Qantas and Virgin Australia – continuously adjusting their networks to cater to our new travel interests, but we also have international airlines regularly announcing new or additional routes to the destination.
It really has us wondering, which airlines carry the most passengers to and from our tiny part of the world?
According to the Australian Government’s monthly International Airline Activity report for the month of February, the number of international passengers climbed, with Australian airports handling 6.7 percent more holidaymakers compared to the same time last year.
With the climb in passengers also came a slight shift in which airlines carried the most passengers.
The biggest change came from Malaysia Airlines, which saw itself moving back into favour amongst Australian travellers after a slight dip from the MH370 and MH17 incidents.
The full-service carrier achieved a 7.8 per cent increase in passenger numbers in February 2015, ahead of where it was in the same period in 2014.
Malaysia Airlines’ Regional Senior Vice President, PK Lee, said while there is still more work to do to continue growing in Australia, it is encouraging to see the community regaining faith in the airline as a world class operation. Read on
See which other airlines carried the most passengers to and from Australia in February:
10. China Southern Airlines
9. AirAsia X
8. Malaysia Airlines
7. Cathay Pacific
6. Virgin Australia
5. Air New Zealand
4. Singapore Airlines
3. Jetstar
2. Emirates