GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 16, 2026
Airline
An airline is a licensed aviation enterprise that carries passengers, cargo, or both on defined routes under scheduled or charter operations.
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Source: https://www.iata.org
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Definition & Explanation
An airline is a licensed aviation enterprise that carries passengers, cargo, or both on defined routes under scheduled or charter operations. In scheduled service it operates according to a published timetable on fixed routes; under charter arrangements it provides capacity by individual agreement. For freight forwarders and shippers, the airline is the operating carrier that performs the physical movement between origin and destination airports and is named as such on the air waybill. A key distinction exists between passenger carriers that carry freight in their lower-deck hold (belly cargo) and dedicated freighter operators (all-cargo carriers) – a difference that directly affects available capacity and rate structures. The principal industry body is the IATA (International Air Transport Association); the air cargo sector is additionally represented by the TIACA.
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