The global airline industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors in the pandemic. Subsequent years of recovery have been tempered by rising fuel costs. Find out more about investing in airlines. find out about airline ETFs and compare brokers to invest in airlines, plus discover some popular airline stocks.
| Airline stock | Icon | 1-year performance (to Mar. '25) | 5-year performance (to Mar. '25) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY) |  |
-35.85% | 89.33% | Invest Capital at risk |
| Delta Air Lines (DAL) |  |
2.07% | 119.91% | Invest Capital at risk |
| International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) |  |
74.33% | -99.85% | Invest Capital at risk |
| Wizz Air Holdings PLC (WIZZ) |  |
-18.29% | -25.46% | Invest Capital at risk |
| EasyJet PLC (EZJ) |  |
-11.01% | -3.00% | Invest Capital at risk |
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
Perhaps the most obvious way to invest in this sector is to buy shares in individual airlines (or their parent companies). When buying stocks, investors traditionally look at the current financial results of a company, whether they are paying any dividends to shareholders, and what the firm’s future stock market performance might be.
But with airlines, other factors to consider include passenger numbers, the proportion of flights they are operating where all the seats have been sold, and the cost of fuel – one of the big expenses for airlines.
In these unpredictable times, the balance sheet for most carriers is not necessarily going to be looking too healthy. And with passenger numbers at historic lows, metrics around traveller numbers could be hard to gauge.
So while share prices may look attractively cheap, one of the most important considerations will be whether the airline you are considering investing in is in a strong enough position to weather the current coronavirus storm. Would-be investors would not want to purchase bargain shares in an airline that could potentially fold later this year as a result of the pandemic.
ETFs – or exchange traded funds – are another investment option worth considering. In simple terms, ETFs are funds which own and “track” a variety of assets, including stocks in various companies. Buying into an ETF means you do not have to purchase individual shares in different companies yourself. More general information on this type of fund can be found in Finder’s guide to ETFs.
Currently, the US Global Jets ETF (known as JETS) is the only ETF that exclusively tracks airlines stocks. But other larger funds, and ones which focus on the transport sector for example, will also include airline stocks.
Airline stocks might not be sky high right now – but with coronavirus numbers coming down and vaccine’s being administered worldwide, we can expect that we’ll be able to jet off on holiday soon – which could impact stock prices. Make sure you’re aware of the risks involved and that you do your research on individual airline stocks before you invest. If you want a diversified range of stocks then airline ETFs could be a good option for you.
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