Star Alliance is the world's largest and oldest global airline alliance, connecting 25 member airlines across 190+ countries with more than 1,150 destinations. Founded on May 14, 1997, by five carriers — Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, Thai Airways, and United Airlines — the alliance commands a 17.4% global market share, making it the dominant force among the three major alliances. The network operates over 18,000 daily flights with a combined fleet exceeding 5,000 aircraft, carrying roughly 725+ million passengers per year. The alliance is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 14, 1997 |
| Headquarters | Frankfurt, Germany |
| Member airlines | 25 (as of March 2026) |
| Destinations | 1,150+ airports |
| Countries served | 190+ |
| Daily flights | 18,000+ |
| Combined fleet | 5,000+ aircraft |
| Annual passengers | ~725 million+ |
| Airport lounges | 1,000+ worldwide |
| Global market share | 17.4% (largest of all three alliances) |
| Skytrax Best Alliance | 13 wins, including 4 consecutive (2022–2025) |
| Connecting partner | Juneyao Airlines (China) |
| Intermodal partners | Deutsche Bahn (Germany), Austrian Federal Railways/ÖBB |
Below is the complete roster of every Star Alliance member airline, listed alphabetically with IATA code, ICAO code, headquarters country, hub airports, and a brief description. All codes have been cross-verified across multiple aviation databases.
| # | Airline | IATA | ICAO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | A3 | AEE | |
| 2 | Canada | AC | ACA | |
| 3 | China | CA | CCA | |
| 4 | India | AI | AIC | |
| 5 | New Zealand | NZ | ANZ | |
| 6 | Japan | NH | ANA | |
| 7 | Asiana Airlines South KoreaDeparting late 2026 | OZ | AAR | |
| 8 | Austria | OS | AUA | |
| 9 | Colombia | AV | AVA | |
| 10 | Belgium | SN | BEL | |
| 11 | Panama | CM | CMP | |
| 12 | Croatia | OU | CTN | |
| 13 | Egypt | MS | MSR | |
| 14 | Ethiopia | ET | ETH | |
| 15 | Taiwan | BR | EVA | |
| 16 | Poland | LO | LOT | |
| 17 | Germany | LH | DLH | |
| 18 | China | ZH | CSZ | |
| 19 | Singapore | SQ | SIA | |
| 20 | South Africa | SA | SAA | |
| 21 | Switzerland | LX | SWR | |
| 22 | Portugal | TP | TAP | |
| 23 | Thailand | TG | THA | |
| 24 | Türkiye | TK | THY | |
| 25 | United States | UA | UAL |
| IATA Code | A3 |
| ICAO Code | AEE |
| Country / HQ | Greece |
| Hub airport(s) | Athens (ATH), Thessaloniki (SKG) |
The largest airline in Greece by passengers carried, Aegean operates domestic and European international services and joined Star Alliance in 2010.
| IATA Code | AC |
| ICAO Code | ACA |
| Country / HQ | Canada |
| Hub airport(s) | Toronto (YYZ), Montréal (YUL), Vancouver (YVR) |
Canada's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance (1997), serving approximately 222 destinations on six continents.
| IATA Code | CA |
| ICAO Code | CCA |
| Country / HQ | China |
| Hub airport(s) | Beijing Capital (PEK), Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) |
The flag carrier of the People's Republic of China, majority state-owned, and a member of Star Alliance since 2007.
| IATA Code | AI |
| ICAO Code | AIC |
| Country / HQ | India |
| Hub airport(s) | Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), Bengaluru (BLR) |
India's flag carrier, now owned by the Tata Group following re-privatization in 2022, joined Star Alliance in July 2014.
| IATA Code | NZ |
| ICAO Code | ANZ |
| Country / HQ | New Zealand |
| Hub airport(s) | Auckland (AKL) |
New Zealand's flag carrier providing extensive domestic, regional Pacific, and long-haul international services; a Star Alliance member since 1999.
| IATA Code | NH |
| ICAO Code | ANA |
| Country / HQ | Japan |
| Hub airport(s) | Tokyo Haneda (HND), Tokyo Narita (NRT) |
The largest airline in Japan by passengers and revenue, ANA is a subsidiary of ANA Holdings and joined Star Alliance in 1999.
| IATA Code | OZ |
| ICAO Code | AAR |
| Country / HQ | South Korea |
| Hub airport(s) | Seoul Incheon (ICN), Seoul Gimpo (GMP) |
South Korea's second-largest airline, now a subsidiary of Korean Air following the completed merger in December 2024; expected to exit Star Alliance by late 2026 and be absorbed into Korean Air under SkyTeam.
| IATA Code | OS |
| ICAO Code | AUA |
| Country / HQ | Austria |
| Hub airport(s) | Vienna (VIE) |
Austria's flag carrier and a Lufthansa Group subsidiary, serving as a key hub connecting Western and Eastern Europe; joined Star Alliance in 2000.
| IATA Code | AV |
| ICAO Code | AVA |
| Country / HQ | Colombia |
| Hub airport(s) | Bogotá (BOG), San Salvador (SAL) |
Colombia's flag carrier and one of the oldest continuously operating airlines in the Western Hemisphere (founded 1919); joined Star Alliance in 2012.
| IATA Code | SN |
| ICAO Code | BEL |
| Country / HQ | Belgium |
| Hub airport(s) | Brussels (BRU) |
Belgium's flag carrier and a Lufthansa Group subsidiary, notable for its extensive network of routes to Sub-Saharan Africa; joined Star Alliance in 2009.
| IATA Code | CM |
| ICAO Code | CMP |
| Country / HQ | Panama |
| Hub airport(s) | Panama City Tocumen (PTY) |
Panama's flag carrier operating a major Americas hub at Tocumen, renowned for strong on-time performance and extensive Latin American and Caribbean connectivity; joined Star Alliance in 2012.
| IATA Code | OU |
| ICAO Code | CTN |
| Country / HQ | Croatia |
| Hub airport(s) | Zagreb (ZAG) |
Croatia's flag carrier and one of the first regional European members of Star Alliance, joining in 2004 and primarily connecting Croatia to destinations across Europe.
| IATA Code | MS |
| ICAO Code | MSR |
| Country / HQ | Egypt |
| Hub airport(s) | Cairo (CAI) |
Egypt's flag carrier, founded in 1932, making it one of the oldest airlines in the world and the first in the Middle East and Africa; joined Star Alliance in 2008.
| IATA Code | ET |
| ICAO Code | ETH |
| Country / HQ | Ethiopia |
| Hub airport(s) | Addis Ababa Bole (ADD), Lomé (LFW), Lilongwe (LLW) |
The largest airline in Africa by passengers, destinations, fleet size, and revenue; government-owned and a Star Alliance member since 2011.
| IATA Code | BR |
| ICAO Code | EVA |
| Country / HQ | Taiwan |
| Hub airport(s) | Taiwan Taoyuan (TPE) |
Taiwan's second-largest airline and a Skytrax 5-star rated carrier, part of the Evergreen Group, operating international routes across Asia, Oceania, Europe, and North America; joined Star Alliance in 2013.
| IATA Code | LO |
| ICAO Code | LOT |
| Country / HQ | Poland |
| Hub airport(s) | Warsaw Chopin (WAW) |
Poland's flag carrier and one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation (founded 1929), serving 97+ destinations with a fleet of approximately 90 aircraft; joined Star Alliance in 2003.
| IATA Code | LH |
| ICAO Code | DLH |
| Country / HQ | Germany |
| Hub airport(s) | Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC) |
Germany's flag carrier, a founding member of Star Alliance (1997), and one of Europe's largest airlines; parent of the Lufthansa Group, which also includes Austrian, Brussels Airlines, and SWISS within the alliance.
| IATA Code | ZH |
| ICAO Code | CSZ |
| Country / HQ | China |
| Hub airport(s) | Shenzhen (SZX), Guangzhou (CAN), Nanjing (NKG) |
China's sixth-largest carrier by fleet size with 200+ aircraft, a major subsidiary of Air China, and the second Chinese airline to join Star Alliance in 2012; operates primarily domestic routes.
| IATA Code | SQ |
| ICAO Code | SIA |
| Country / HQ | Singapore |
| Hub airport(s) | Singapore Changi (SIN) |
Singapore's flag carrier and consistently ranked among the world's best airlines by Skytrax, renowned for premium cabin products including its flagship A380 Suites; operates a fleet of ~147 aircraft.
| IATA Code | SA |
| ICAO Code | SAA |
| Country / HQ | South Africa |
| Hub airport(s) | Johannesburg O.R. Tambo (JNB) |
South Africa's flag carrier and the first African airline to join a major airline alliance (Star Alliance in 2006); underwent business rescue in 2019–2021 and has resumed operations on a limited network.
| IATA Code | LX |
| ICAO Code | SWR |
| Country / HQ | Switzerland |
| Hub airport(s) | Zurich (ZRH) |
Switzerland's flag carrier and a Lufthansa Group subsidiary, created in 2002 as the successor to the former Swissair; known for quality service and strong European and intercontinental connections from Zurich.
| IATA Code | TP |
| ICAO Code | TAP |
| Country / HQ | Portugal |
| Hub airport(s) | Lisbon (LIS), Porto (OPO) |
Portugal's flag carrier and the leading European airline serving Brazil, leveraging Lisbon as a strategic gateway between Europe, Africa, and the Americas; operates an all-Airbus fleet of ~100 aircraft and joined Star Alliance in 2005.
| IATA Code | TG |
| ICAO Code | THA |
| Country / HQ | Thailand |
| Hub airport(s) | Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) |
Thailand's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance (1997), operating an extensive international network from Bangkok with a wide-body fleet of 777s, 787s, and A350s.
| IATA Code | TK |
| ICAO Code | THY |
| Country / HQ | Türkiye |
| Hub airport(s) | Istanbul (IST), Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) |
Türkiye's flag carrier and the airline serving more countries than any other in the world (131 countries, 350+ destinations), operating a fleet of ~416 aircraft from Istanbul's strategic crossroads between Europe, Asia, and Africa; joined Star Alliance in 2008.
| IATA Code | UA |
| ICAO Code | UAL |
| Country / HQ | United States |
| Hub airport(s) | Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), Washington Dulles (IAD) |
A founding member of Star Alliance (1997) and one of the world's largest airlines by available seat miles, United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers with a mainline fleet of ~1,050 aircraft.
The Star Alliance roster is not static. Three major shifts define the 2024–2026 period:
A founding member since 1997, SAS exited following Air France-KLM's investment during its Chapter 11 restructuring and joined rival alliance SkyTeam on September 1, 2024. This marked the first time a founding member left the alliance.
Korean Air completed its acquisition of Asiana in December 2024. Since Korean Air is a SkyTeam member, Asiana will transition out of Star Alliance — award flight availability on Star Alliance partners ends around December 2026, with the Asiana brand being fully absorbed into Korean Air by January 2027.
Following Lufthansa Group's acquisition of a 41% stake in ITA (approved by the EU in July 2024), ITA Airways exited SkyTeam on April 30, 2025. Star Alliance's Chief Executive Board approved ITA's integration in April 2025, with full membership expected in early-to-mid 2026. ITA will become the 26th member and the fifth Lufthansa Group carrier in the alliance.
The net effect: Star Alliance will likely hold steady at 25–26 members through 2026–2027, gaining ITA Airways while losing Asiana Airlines.
One structural detail worth noting is the Lufthansa Group's dominance within the alliance. Four current members — Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and SWISS — are Lufthansa Group subsidiaries, and ITA Airways will soon make five. This gives the group significant influence over alliance strategy and feeds traffic across a dense European network spanning hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Zurich, and Brussels. No other airline group holds as many seats at the Star Alliance table.
Beyond the 25 full members, Star Alliance has expanded its concept of partnership. Juneyao Airlines (China) serves as the sole Connecting Partner, offering limited interline benefits on combined itineraries with select Star Alliance carriers including Air China, ANA, Singapore Airlines, and United. Two intermodal rail partners — Deutsche Bahn (since August 2022) and Austrian Federal Railways/ÖBB (since March 2025) — integrate rail segments into Star Alliance itineraries, a model the alliance is pioneering among global airline groups.
Star Alliance enters 2026 as the world's largest airline alliance by every meaningful metric — members, destinations, passengers, and market share. The departure of founding member SAS in 2024 was a symbolic blow, but the upcoming addition of ITA Airways and the continued strength of anchor carriers like Lufthansa, United, Turkish Airlines, and Singapore Airlines keep the network formidable. For travelers and content creators alike, the 25 current members span every inhabited continent and offer over 1,150 destinations in 190+ countries — a network unmatched by either SkyTeam or oneworld. The key watch items ahead: ITA Airways' formal entry and Asiana Airlines' final departure, both expected before the end of 2026.
