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Flag carrier
Transport company with preferential status / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations.
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Historically, the term was used to refer to airlines owned by the government of their home country and associated with the national identity of that country.[1] Such an airline may also be known as a national airline or a national carrier, although this can have different legal meanings in some countries. Today, it is any international airline with a strong connection to its home country or that represents its home country internationally, regardless of whether it is government-owned.[2][3]
Flag carriers may also be known as such due to laws requiring aircraft or ships to display the state flag of the country of their registry.[4] For example, under the law of the United States, a U.S. flag air carrier is any airline that holds a certificate under Section 401 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (i.e., any U.S.-based airline operating internationally),[5] and any ship registered in the United States is known as a U.S. flag vessel.[6]