Airline in Different Languages
Discover 'Airline' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ah, the word 'airline' - a term that has revolutionized the way we travel and connect with one another across the globe. An airline is a company that provides air transportation services, operating aircraft to transport passengers and cargo. The significance of airline companies is undeniable in our modern, fast-paced world, enabling us to traverse vast distances in a matter of hours.
The cultural importance of airlines goes beyond mere transportation; they facilitate globalization, foster cultural exchange, and bring people of different backgrounds closer together. From business travelers to families on vacation, airlines have become an essential part of our lives, shaping the way we work, play, and interact.
Ever wondered how the term 'airline' translates into different languages? Understanding these linguistic nuances can offer a fascinating glimpse into how various cultures perceive and interact with this global phenomenon.
For instance, in Spanish, an airline is 'una línea aérea' (oo-na lee-nea air-eh-ah), while in German, it's 'eine Fluggesellschaft' (ayn-uh floog-guh-zell-shaff). In French, an airline is 'une compagnie aérienne' (ewn kohm-pah-nee air-ee-en), and in Mandarin Chinese, it's '航空公司' (hang kong gong si).
Airline
Airline in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lugredery | ||
| The Afrikaans word, 'lugredery,' derives from 'lug' ('air') and 'redery' ('shipping line') but has come to mean 'airline'. | |||
| Amharic | አየር መንገድ | ||
| In addition to meaning "airline," "airline" also means "airway" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kamfanin jirgin sama | ||
| Literally meaning 'airplane blanket', 'kamfanin jirgin sama' also refers to the company that operates the airplane. | |||
| Igbo | ụgbọ elu | ||
| The word "ụgbọ elu" can also mean "aircraft" or "airplane" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | airline | ||
| In Malagasy the word "airlines" ("orinasam-pitaterana") literally means "flying canoe". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndege | ||
| The word 'ndege' is derived from the Swahili word 'ndege', which means 'bird', and has been adopted into Nyanja to refer to airlines. | |||
| Shona | ndege | ||
| In Shona, 'ndege' refers to an aeroplane but is also used as a general term for 'bird'. | |||
| Somali | diyaarad | ||
| Somali word "diyaarad" is derived from the Arabic word "tayyāra", meaning "flying". | |||
| Sesotho | sefofane | ||
| The word "sefofane" is also used to refer to a bird that flies high in the sky. | |||
| Swahili | shirika la ndege | ||
| The Swahili word "shirika la ndege" literally means "bird company". | |||
| Xhosa | inkampani yezindiza | ||
| The word 'inkampani yezindiza' literally means 'a company that flies' or 'a company of the skies'. | |||
| Yoruba | oko ofurufu | ||
| The Yoruba word "oko ofurufu" literally translates to "vehicle of the sky". | |||
| Zulu | inkampani yezindiza | ||
| The word "inkampani yezindiza" is derived from the words "inkampani" ("company") and "isindiza" ("bird"), suggesting the idea of a company that flies like a bird. | |||
| Bambara | awiyɔn baarakɛlaw | ||
| Ewe | yameʋudɔwɔƒe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | indege | ||
| Lingala | kompanyi ya mpɛpɔ | ||
| Luganda | kkampuni y’ennyonyi | ||
| Sepedi | khamphani ya difofane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wimhyɛn adwumayɛkuw | ||
Airline in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شركة طيران | ||
| The word "شركة طيران" literally translates to "flying company" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | חֶברַת תְעוּפָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "חֶבְרַת תְעוּפָה" ("airline") literally means "company of flight". | |||
| Pashto | ایرلاین | ||
| The Pashto word "ایرلاین" can also refer to the "airway" or "breathing passage". | |||
| Arabic | شركة طيران | ||
| The word "شركة طيران" literally translates to "flying company" in Arabic. | |||
Airline in Western European Languages
| Albanian | linja ajrore | ||
| "Linja ajrore" literally means "air line" in Albanian, referring to the path taken by an aircraft. | |||
| Basque | aire konpainia | ||
| The Basque word "aire konpainia" literally translates to "air company". | |||
| Catalan | companyia aèria | ||
| The word "companyia aèria" in Catalan means "airline" and derives from the Latin word "compagnīa", meaning "group of people or things," and "aèria" from Greek, meaning "of or relating to the air." | |||
| Croatian | zrakoplovna kompanija | ||
| The Croatian word "zrakoplovna kompanija" is derived from the Slavic words "zrak" (air) and "plovna" (sailing), and originally meant "airship company". | |||
| Danish | flyselskab | ||
| The word "flyselskab" can also mean "fly fishing club" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | luchtvaartmaatschappij | ||
| The word 'luchtvaartmaatschappij' literally means 'air travel company' in Dutch. | |||
| English | airline | ||
| In nautical terms, an ``airline`` is an imaginary line at right angles to the keel of a ship or aircraft. | |||
| French | compagnie aérienne | ||
| The word "Compagnie aérienne" literally means "air company" in French. | |||
| Frisian | loftfeartmaatskippij | ||
| The first element, "loft", means "air" and the second element, "feart", means "trip", while the third element, "maatskippij", means "company". | |||
| Galician | compañía aérea | ||
| The word "compañía aérea" comes from the Latin words "cum" (with) and "panis" (bread), and originally referred to a group of people who ate bread together. | |||
| German | fluggesellschaft | ||
| The word "Fluggesellschaft" is derived from the German words "Flug" (flight) and "Gesellschaft" (company) and can also refer to a "flying club" or an "aviation company". | |||
| Icelandic | flugfélag | ||
| Flugfélag is also the term used for 'hot air balloon' in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | aerlíne | ||
| The word 'aerlíne' is a compound word derived from 'aer' (air) and 'líne' (line), denoting a scheduled air transport service. | |||
| Italian | compagnia aerea | ||
| The word "compagnia aerea" also means "air force" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | fluchgesellschaft | ||
| The word "Fluchgesellschaft" is derived from the German word "Fluggesellschaft", which means "airline". | |||
| Maltese | linja tal-ajru | ||
| In Maltese, the word "linja tal-ajru" can also refer to a shipping lane or a telephone line. | |||
| Norwegian | flyselskap | ||
| The word "flyselskap" can also mean "squadron" or "flight crew." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cia aérea | ||
| CIA aérea in Portuguese means airline just like Central Intelligence Agency does in English | |||
| Scots Gaelic | companaidh-adhair | ||
| The Gaelic word for 'airline', companaidh-adhair, is also the word for 'flying machine'. | |||
| Spanish | aerolínea | ||
| "Aerolínea" literally means "air street" in Spanish, and is a cognate of "aerodrome" in English. | |||
| Swedish | flygbolag | ||
| The term flygbolag (airline) literally means 'flying company,' and was first used in 1958, when several existing airlines were nationalized. | |||
| Welsh | cwmni hedfan | ||
| In Welsh, "cwmni hedfan" literally means "flying company", a reference to the fact that airlines are companies that operate flights. | |||
Airline in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | авіякампанія | ||
| The Belarusian word "авіякампанія" can also refer to an air carrier or aviation company. | |||
| Bosnian | aviokompanija | ||
| Bosnian "aviokompanija" also means "airline company, airline industry". | |||
| Bulgarian | авиокомпания | ||
| The word "авиокомпания" derives from the Russian word for "air" and the French word for "company". | |||
| Czech | letecká linka | ||
| The word "letecká linka" literally means "flying line" in Czech, referring to the path of an airplane in the sky. | |||
| Estonian | lennufirma | ||
| The term was adopted from the Russian word "воздушный" and later came to mean both airlines and aviation. | |||
| Finnish | lentoyhtiö | ||
| The word "lentoyhtiö" is derived from the Finnish words "lentää" (to fly) and "yhtiö" (company). | |||
| Hungarian | légitársaság | ||
| "Légitársaság" is derived from "légijármű" (aircraft) + "társaság" (company). | |||
| Latvian | aviokompānija | ||
| "Aviokompānija" is formed from the Latin "avis" (bird) and "compagnia" (company), or, it literally means "a bird company". | |||
| Lithuanian | aviakompanija | ||
| The word "aviakompanija" is derived from the Russian word "авиакомпания" ("airline"), which in turn is derived from the Latin word "avia" ("air, aviation") and the Greek word "κοινός" ("common, shared"). | |||
| Macedonian | авиокомпанија | ||
| The word “авиокомпанија” is derived from the Greek word “aero” (air) and the Latin word “compagnia” (company). | |||
| Polish | linia lotnicza | ||
| In Polish, "linia lotnicza" literally translates to "flying line", referring to the path of an aircraft. | |||
| Romanian | companie aeriană | ||
| The Romanian word "companie aeriană" is a compound of the Romanian words "companie" (company) and "aeriană" (air), and can be translated into English as "air carrier" or "airline." | |||
| Russian | авиакомпания | ||
| Авиакомпания was earlier used to describe a company that built aircraft rather than one that flew them | |||
| Serbian | ваздушна линија | ||
| "Ваздушна линија" primarily refers to the physical path an aircraft travels through the air, rather than the commercial entity providing scheduled flights. | |||
| Slovak | letecká spoločnosť | ||
| "Letecká spoločnosť" literally translates to "flying company" in Slovak, highlighting the transportation aspect of airlines. | |||
| Slovenian | letalski prevoznik | ||
| The word "letalski prevoznik" comes from the words "letalski" (air) and "prevoznik" (carrier), and it can also refer to an air carrier. | |||
| Ukrainian | авіакомпанія | ||
| The word "авіакомпанія" is derived from the French "compagnie aérienne" meaning "air company". | |||
Airline in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিমান সংস্থা | ||
| বায়ু (air) + যান (vehicle) + সংস্থা (organization) অর্থাৎ আকাশে যান চালানোর জন্যে প্রতিষ্ঠিত প্রতিষ্ঠান। | |||
| Gujarati | એરલાઇન | ||
| The word "એરલાઇન" (airline) in Gujarati can also refer to a line or route on which airplanes fly. | |||
| Hindi | एयरलाइन | ||
| The word "एयरलाइन" (airline) in Hindi is derived from the English word "airline" and refers to a company that provides air transport services. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿಮಾನಯಾನ | ||
| In Sanskrit, "vimana" means airborne vehicle, and "ayana" means travel or journey. | |||
| Malayalam | എയർലൈൻ | ||
| "എയർലൈൻ" can also mean "airborne" or "existing in the air" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | विमान | ||
| "विमान" in Marathi also refers to an "aeroplane" or "aircraft". | |||
| Nepali | एयरलाइन | ||
| In Nepali, "एयरलाइन" also means "airway" or "air route". | |||
| Punjabi | ਏਅਰ ਲਾਈਨ | ||
| The word "ਏਅਰ ਲਾਈਨ" in Punjabi can also refer to the physical line or route taken by an aircraft during a flight. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගුවන් සේවය | ||
| Tamil | விமான நிறுவனம் | ||
| விமான நிறுவனம் is a loanword from English, but in the context of the Tamil language it can also refer to an airport. | |||
| Telugu | వైమానిక సంస్థ | ||
| The term "వైమానిక సంస్థ" means "aerial body" or "a body that moves in the air" in Sanskrit, reflecting the aerial nature of the industry. | |||
| Urdu | ایئر لائن | ||
| Did you know that 'ایئر لائن' can also mean 'an imaginary line between two points' in Urdu? | |||
Airline in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 航空公司 | ||
| “航空”原指“航空事业”，即以飞机进行运输的事业，后来才衍生出“航空公司”的含义。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 航空公司 | ||
| 航空公司在中文语境中除了表示航空运输企业，还可指航线、飞行日程等涵义。 | |||
| Japanese | 航空会社 | ||
| In Japanese, "航空会社" (airline) literally means "air-flight-company," highlighting the mode of transportation and its commercial nature. | |||
| Korean | 공기 호스 | ||
| 공기 호스 originally meant "pipe for air" but has come to also mean "pipe for other fluids". | |||
| Mongolian | агаарын тээврийн компани | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လေကြောင်းလိုင်း | ||
Airline in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perusahaan penerbangan | ||
| The word 'perusahaan penerbangan' also means 'shipping company' in Indonesian, derived from the word 'pengangkutan' (transportation). | |||
| Javanese | maskapai | ||
| In Javanese, "maskapai" has an alternate meaning of "company or organization." | |||
| Khmer | ក្រុមហ៊ុនអាកាសចរណ៍ | ||
| Lao | ສາຍການບິນ | ||
| Malay | syarikat penerbangan | ||
| 'Syarikat' refers to a 'company' and 'penerbangan' means 'flight', so 'syarikat penerbangan' translates to 'flight company'. | |||
| Thai | สายการบิน | ||
| The Thai word "สายการบิน" can also refer to a flight route or a string on a musical instrument. | |||
| Vietnamese | hãng hàng không | ||
| 'Hãng hàng không' is a Sino-Vietnamese term, which consists of two words: 'hãng' (meaning 'company') and 'hàng không' (meaning 'air transport'). Hence, a more literal translation of 'hãng hàng không' would be 'air transport company'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | airline | ||
Airline in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | aviaşirkət | ||
| The word "aviaşirkət" likely comes from the French word "aviation" or the Russian word "авиакомпания" (aviakompaniya), both of which mean "airline". | |||
| Kazakh | авиакомпания | ||
| The word "авиакомпания" is derived from the Russian word "авиационная компания" which means "aviation company". | |||
| Kyrgyz | авиакомпания | ||
| "Авиакомпания "Авиакомпания", от "авиация" и "компания." | |||
| Tajik | ширкати ҳавопаймоӣ | ||
| Turkmen | awiakompaniýasy | ||
| Uzbek | aviakompaniya | ||
| The word "aviakompaniya" is derived from the Latin word "avia", meaning "bird", and the Russian word "kompaniya", meaning "company". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاۋىئاتسىيە شىركىتى | ||
Airline in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mokulele | ||
| Mokulele originated from the Hawaiian words “moku” (island) and “lele” (to fly). | |||
| Maori | rererangi | ||
| The Maori word "rererangi" can also refer to a "flying machine" or a "plane". | |||
| Samoan | vaalele | ||
| The word "vaalele" can also mean "to travel on a plane" or "to navigate the stars" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | airline | ||
| In Tagalog, 'airline' can also mean 'clothesline'. | |||
Airline in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | avión ukan irnaqiri | ||
| Guarani | aerolínea rehegua | ||
Airline in International Languages
| Esperanto | flugkompanio | ||
| The word "flugkompanio" is derived from the German word "Fluggesellschaft" and the Esperanto word "kompanio" meaning "company". | |||
| Latin | airline | ||
| In Latin, "airlines" can also refer to the space between two rows of vines. | |||
Airline in Others Languages
| Greek | αερογραμμή | ||
| "Αερογραμμή" is a compound word derived from "αέρας" (air) and "γραμμή" (line), representing the path traveled by an aircraft in the sky. | |||
| Hmong | menyuam | ||
| "Menyuam" is derived from a verb meaning "to travel" and a suffix indicating a place where something happens. | |||
| Kurdish | şîrketa balafiran | ||
| "Balafiran" means both "aircraft" and "plane tree" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | havayolu | ||
| Havayolu literally means 'airway' and can also refer to an 'air route'. | |||
| Xhosa | inkampani yezindiza | ||
| The word 'inkampani yezindiza' literally means 'a company that flies' or 'a company of the skies'. | |||
| Yiddish | ערליין | ||
| "ערליין" is a Yiddish word borrowed from the English word "airline" that can also refer to an "airplane". | |||
| Zulu | inkampani yezindiza | ||
| The word "inkampani yezindiza" is derived from the words "inkampani" ("company") and "isindiza" ("bird"), suggesting the idea of a company that flies like a bird. | |||
| Assamese | বিমান সংস্থা | ||
| Aymara | avión ukan irnaqiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | एयरलाइन के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | އެއާލައިން އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | एयरलाइन ने दी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | airline | ||
| Guarani | aerolínea rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | kompania ti eroplano | ||
| Krio | aylayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هێڵی ئاسمانی | ||
| Maithili | एयरलाइन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯦꯌꯔꯂꯥꯏꯟꯗꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ ꯌꯨ.ꯑꯦꯁ | ||
| Mizo | airline a ni | ||
| Oromo | daandiin xiyyaaraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିମାନ ସେବା | ||
| Quechua | avión compañía | ||
| Sanskrit | विमानसेवा | ||
| Tatar | авиакомпания | ||
| Tigrinya | መንገዲ ኣየር | ||
| Tsonga | khamphani ya swihahampfhuka | ||