Airline tycoon for iPhone

Airline Director

Open a route, set the fare, and find out on Sunday night whether you were right.

Airline Director is a turn-based airline tycoon. Lease or buy the fleet, win slots at both ends, price three cabins and read the weekly report, then grow a small airline into a Global Network Carrier.

Download on theApp Store See screenshots

iOS 26+
No ads
Plays offline

Airline Director home screen: cash, net worth, rating and on-time performance, progress to Major Airline, an inflation surge, and the jobs that need you

8tiers, Air Taxi to Global
300+real airports
7airlines to take over
3cabins to price

What you do in Airline Director

Build a fleet
Turboprops, regional jets, narrowbodies and long-range widebodies. Buy outright, finance or lease, each with a different shape of pain. Watch condition, book the heavy checks before they book themselves, and refit the cabin when the market moves.
Run a network
Open routes between real airports, set the frequency and assign the aircraft. Declare a base and watch two routes start feeding each other, or fly point to point from an airport nobody has heard of.
Win the slots
You need a slot at both ends, and the good airports have none to spare. Busy hubs won't sell to just anyone: they want the rating, the reputation, the punctuality and the fleet before they'll deal.
Price every seat
Price economy, premium and business by hand, or hold a position against the market and let revenue management do it. Every route shows its revenue and cost per seat-kilometre, and the gap between them is your margin.
Ride the world
Recessions and booms, fuel shocks, strikes, volcanic ash, inflation and open-skies deals all move demand and costs. Lock in fuel on a forward contract or buy it in bulk for your own tanks, keep a cash buffer, and keep flying.
Climb eight tiers
From Air Taxi to Regional Operator, Domestic, National, International, Major, Flag Carrier and Global Network Carrier, each gated on rating, reputation, fleet, network and net worth. Hire a chief executive, raise equity, and buy a rival if you can afford one.

Screenshots

A profitable week's report with passengers carried, load factor, on-time rate, seats spilled, and the result of each route — Read the weekly report

The Amsterdam to Vilnius route explained in words: demand, frequency against rivals, share of the market, seats filled and passengers turned away — Every number is explained

The network screen with revenue, route costs and passengers turned away, and the routes flown from the Amsterdam hub — Build the network

Ordering aircraft: a turboprop and a regional jet with seats, range and runway, to buy outright, finance or lease — Choose your fleet

The airports screen with slot units held and their value, and how full the slots are at Amsterdam, Milan and Istanbul — Win the slots

The office: an International Airline's rating, the conditions for Major Airline, outside investment and the balance sheet — Climb the ladder

About Airline Director

You take over a small airline, its base, its fleet and its debts. One week at a time, you turn it into a name on the world's departure boards.

Airline Director is turn-based. Every turn is one week of a 52-week year: make your decisions, advance the week, and read the report on who flew, what they paid, what it cost you and how much you kept. The game waits, so take five minutes or fifty.

You are always short of three things. Cash, because aircraft cost tens of millions and leases fall due whether anyone flew or not. Slots, because you need one at both ends. And block hours, because every airframe has a ceiling, and pushing past it breaks your punctuality, your maintenance and your crew.

Pick one of seven airlines to take over, from a family airline in Manchester to a startup in Nairobi, and keep the books in its own currency. The game is free and open-ended, with three save slots. Optional purchases add investment cash to a save, or unlock Free Play, where you can start from any of the world's capitals and major airports.

No ads, no tracking, no timers. Free to play, and every purchase is optional.

Airline Director FAQ

Is Airline Director free?

Yes. Airline Director is free to download, and all seven starting airlines play in full, open-ended, with no paywall on any tier. Optional in-app purchases add investment cash to a save, or unlock Free Play ($2.99 in the US), which lets you start from any capital city or major airport.

Does Airline Director have ads?

No. There are no ads of any kind, no subscriptions, no energy timers and no watching videos for rewards.

Is it real time or turn-based?

Turn-based. Each turn is one week, and nothing happens until you advance it, so you can put the game down at any point.

Can I play Airline Director offline?

Yes. The game plays fully offline. Purchases go through the App Store.

Which devices does it run on?

Airline Director is for iPhone and needs iOS 26 or later.

Are the airlines and aircraft real?

No. The airports and cities are real places, but the airlines, rival carriers and aircraft types in the game are invented, and the game isn't affiliated with any airline, airport or aircraft maker.

What data does the game collect?

None. Airline Director has no accounts, no analytics, no advertising and no tracking. Your saves stay on your phone, with up to three airlines at a time. The privacy policy has the details.