London, United Kingdom – The world’s top 5 most valuable airline brands logged brand value growths of at least 11%, according to a new report by Brand Finance, the world’s brand valuation consultancy, it announced on March 27. US brand Delta (brand value up 21% to USD10.8 billion) retained its 1st place among the most valuable airline brands in this year’s rankings, making this its sixth consecutive year. Similarly, other US brands, American Airlines (brand value up 21% to USD10.2 billion), United Airlines (brand value up 11% to USD8.7 billion) and Southwest Airlines (brand value up 15% to USD5.4 billion), kept their places in 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Completing the world’s top 5 most valuable airline brands, UAE brand Emirates (brand value up 30% to USD6.6 billion) defended its title as the world’s 4th most valuable airline brand.

Amidst the expected surge in passenger traffic and positive forecasts for the sector, most airline brands are on an upward trajectory, with 36 out of 50 airline brands listed recording brand value increases. Many of the brands have come close if not exceeding their pre-pandemic revenues due to the complete opening of borders and recovery of passenger demand. During this recovery, airline brands are actively expanding their networks by adding new destinations while focusing on the key trend of sustainability in flying.

The strongest airline brands in the world are ANA (brand value down 15% to USD2 billion), followed by Indigo (brand value up 26% to USD1.1 billion) and Emirates. ANA retains its first place with a brand strength rating of AAA-, while Indigo and Emirates surged from sixteenth and twelfth positions respectively the previous year. They succeeded Korean Air (brand value up 11% to USD1.9 billion) and Airasia (brand value down 13% to USD1.2 billion), which placed second and third in terms of brand strength in 2023.

The largest brand value performers are British Airways, Jet2.com and Emirates. They demonstrated impressive double-digit brand value increases in 2024, showcasing their commitments to excellence, customer satisfaction and strategic brand management in the ever-competitive global airlines sector. British Airways and Jet2.com recorded the largest increases in brand value with a 45% climb to land at USD3.2 billion and 34% rise to reach USD949 million respectively, while Emirates emerged as the third largest brand value gainer with its 30% growth.

With global travel recovering post-pandemic, airline brands in the Middle East have seen a significant rise in traffic year by year, with total traffic in 2023 almost reaching pre-pandemic levels. Middle East aviation was also expected to recover more quickly last year due to factors such as the ongoing expansion of the regional fleet, estimated to be 5.1% annually over the next ten years, a surge in travel to the region owing to the FIFA World Cup and aggressive campaigns from Saudi Arabia to attract tourists.

With Emirates taking the crown of most valuable Middle Eastern airline brand, Qatar Airways (brand value up 27% to USD3.1 billion) follows as the 2nd most valuable Middle Eastern brand maintaining its brand strength rating at AA+. Next in line, Saudia (brand value up 23% to USD797 million) recorded an improvement in brand strength rating from A to A+, ahead of Etihad Airways (brand value up 7% to USD754 million) which retained its brand strength rating of AA.

Savio D’Souza, Valuation Director at Brand Finance commented, “It is uplifting to know that the airline sector is bouncing back strong, especially with US airlines leading the way and Asia Pacific carriers not far behind. Research by Brand Finance underscores that airlineutilizes brands must upkeep their brand value while riding on this wave of recovery.”

Brand Finance also utilises its Global Brand Equity Monitor (GBEM) research to compile a Sustainability Perceptions Index which determines the role of sustainability in driving brand consideration across sectors. In the airline sector, sustainability is responsible for driving 6.5% of customer consideration. Brand Finance’s perceptual data also offers insight into which brands global consumers believe to be most committed to sustainability.

For individual brands, the Index displays the proportion of brand value attributable to sustainability perceptions. This Sustainability Perceptions Value is the financial value contingent on a brand’s reputation for acting sustainably. From here, Brand Finance’s perceptual research is analyzed alongside CSRHub’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance data to determine a brand’s ‘gap value’. This is the value at risk, or value to be gained, arising from the difference between sustainability perceptions and actual performance.

The 2024 Sustainability Perceptions Index finds that in the airline sector, Delta has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Value of USD672 million. Delta’s perceived sustainability scores were below the airlines' sector average across all ESG dimensions. However, the brand’s actual sustainability performance is above the sector average: this means that Delta has an opportunity to improve external awareness of its sustainability efforts and communications. Delta’s positive gap value – which exists when sustainability performance is stronger than perceived – is valued at USD55 million, representing the additional brand value that can be gained by raising perceptions of sustainability efforts to align with actual performance.

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