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.
