The December global fleet size currently counts 28,180 aircraft, of which 22,664 are active and 5,516 are grounded. Just as last month, we notice a rise in active aircraft and a drop in grounded aircraft. If we compare December 2021 with the same month last year, there is a sizeable 44% increase.
| Continent | active | grounded | total |
| Africa | 855 | 428 | 1283 |
| Asia | 7762 | 2232 | 9994 |
| Europe | 5407 | 1222 | 6629 |
| North America | 7060 | 1230 | 8290 |
| Oceania | 681 | 155 | 836 |
| South America | 899 | 249 | 1148 |
| Grand Total | 22664 | 5516 | 28180 |
All continents experienced a rise in active aircraft, except for Europe, the only continent to undergo a decrease compared to the previous month. Asia and North America are in first and second place respectively, with Asia counting 7,762 aircraft and North America 7,060. Following are Europe (5,407), South America (899), and Africa (855). With 681 active aircraft, Oceania is still at the end of the list, the same as in the previous month.
Just as last month, Hungary remains the country with the most active aircraft, with 129 of its 136 aircraft currently in use – almost 95%. The Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Ireland, Malta, Chile, China, Ethiopia, and Spain are also among the top 10 countries with the most active aircraft, with each country counting more than 86% of its fleet active.
Top 10 countries with the highest percentage of active aircraft (with/more than 100 aircraft in their portfolio)
| country |
active |
grounded |
total |
% active |
| Hungary | 129 | 7 | 136 | 94,85% |
| Netherlands (the) | 206 | 14 | 220 | 93,64% |
| Japan | 571 | 59 | 630 | 90,63% |
| Poland | 148 | 16 | 164 | 90,24% |
| Ireland | 310 | 34 | 344 | 90,12% |
| Malta | 241 | 31 | 272 | 88,60% |
| Chile | 116 | 15 | 131 | 88,55% |
| China | 3407 | 478 | 3885 | 87,70% |
| Ethiopia | 95 | 14 | 109 | 87,16% |
| Spain | 355 | 54 | 409 | 86,80% |
The country with the most grounded aircraft is Hong Kong, with 58% of its fleet grounded, whereas all other countries count less than half their fleet grounded. Hong Kong is followed by Iran, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Viet Nam, Singapore, and Argentina.
Top 10 countries with the highest percentage of grounded aircraft (with/more than 100 aircraft in their portfolio)
| country |
active |
grounded |
total |
% grounded |
| Hong Kong | 107 | 149 | 256 | 58,20% |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 129 | 126 | 255 | 49,41% |
| Nigeria | 58 | 55 | 113 | 48,67% |
| Malaysia | 133 | 118 | 251 | 47,01% |
| Thailand | 148 | 115 | 263 | 43,73% |
| Indonesia | 338 | 223 | 561 | 39,75% |
| Philippines (the) | 130 | 83 | 213 | 38,97% |
| Viet Nam | 143 | 88 | 231 | 38,10% |
| Singapore | 139 | 80 | 219 | 36,53% |
| Argentina | 70 | 35 | 105 | 33,33% |
Top 25 Airlines with the most active aircraft (with 100 or more aircraft in their fleet)
The airline with the most active aircraft is Frontier Airlines, with 99% of its fleet currently active. Following are Spring Airlines, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Malta Air, and Envoy Air, with each airline having 97% or more active aircraft in their fleet. All top 25 airlines count at least 89% of their aircraft active.
We have analysed data regarding Lessors managing more than 50 aircraft as well. The top 25 Lessors with the highest percentage of active aircraft in their portfolio are listed below, with International Airfinance in first place.
The numbers have stagnated when analysing the active/grounded fleet by market group, as the count remains almost the same as in the previous month, with slight changes within Narrowbody Jets. Otherwise, the overview of active/grounded fleet by market group for December is a mirror image of the November analysis.
