Aviation Week has
released the results of its Top-Performing Companies (TPC) study of the
global airline industry that identifies Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa
and Malaysia Airlines as the top three mainline carriers for 2009.
Air Arabia tops the low-cost/niche carrier category. A follow-up to last month's TPC Aerospace & Defense (A&D) rankings, this year's airline analysis shows the effects of the recession on the industry--few airline business models are immune.
"The recession has grabbed hold of the airline industry, and survival is still the name of the game," said Aviation Week & Space Technology Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. "This year's Top-Performing Companies review of airlines places liquidity and financial health as the top indicators for weathering further volatility in the economy and rising fuel prices. We are seeing sharp drops in scores across the board, in all regions, but with the TPC rankings, we can identify those airlines that are doing things right."
A series of articles, complete rankings on the 69 airlines in this year's study, commentaries, podcasts, and graphics are available in this week's issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology and at AviationWeek.com/TPC. The microsite contains the most extensive online coverage of the two-part TPC study in its 13-year history. A companion online analytics tool, the Top-Performing Companies Benchmarking Tool, is also available to enterprise subscribers and allows companies to regularly monitor performance and set competitive goals.
Top Ten Major Legacy Airlines:
- Singapore Airlines
- Deutsche Lufthansa AG
- Malaysian Airline System Berhad
- Turk Hava Yollari AO
- Qantas Airways Ltd.
- LAN Airlines S.A.
- Air New Zealand Ltd.
- Aer Lingus Group PLC
- Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana S.A.
- Finnair Oyj
Top Ten Low-Cost/Niche Airlines:
- Air Arabia
- Allegiant
- Air Mauritius
- Aegean Airlines
- Copa Holdings, S.A.
- Ryanair Holdings plc
- Transat A.T. Inc.
- WestJet Airlines Ltd.
- easyJet plc
- Southwest Airlines Co.
FedEx Corp. is the highest-ranked freight carrier, and Regional Express Holdings Ltd. is the top regional carrier.
Launched in 1996, AVIATION WEEK's TPC Study identifies relative strengths and weaknesses in companies' operational performance and evaluates how well they are executing business strategies. For the second year in a row, separate studies were conducted on the A&D and airline sectors. Proprietary metrics have been refined over the past 13 years with input from industry leaders to include scores in five performance categories: Liquidity, Financial Health, Earnings Performance, Fuel Cost Management, and Asset Utilization. The benchmarking tool and microsite are produced in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers
