- International families
- 3,5242015 to 2024
- Leading country
- United States2.5× the next
- All families
- 13khome filings included
- Over five years
- Falling2020 to 2024 against the five before
Year by year
Patent families by country of origin and the year of the earliest filing, 2000 to 2025; 2025 is a part year, still filling in. International families are those for which protection was sought beyond one country.
Volume
International patent families in the capability, by the year of the earliest filing.
Source: Global Institute for National Capability (GINC), 2026. Underlying patents from 107 patent offices, IFI CLAIMS and Google
Share by country
Each country's share of the year's international families, in per cent: the capability's five largest countries of origin, 2015 to 2024, and the rest of the world.
Source: Global Institute for National Capability (GINC), 2026. Underlying patents from 107 patent offices, IFI CLAIMS and Google
Country leaderboard
International patent families, 2015 to 2024, by country of origin. Growth compares the latest five full years with the five before.
Ten largest
United States
Japan
Germany
China
France
South Korea
United Kingdom
Canada
Spain
Italy
1,188
473
303
274
259
186
166
87
69
46
| 2000 to 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 1,188 | 33.7% | 0.7× | 2,119 | |
| 2 | Japan | 473 | 13.4% | 0.8× | 1,103 | |
| 3 | Germany | 303 | 8.6% | 0.7× | 432 | |
| 4 | China | 274 | 7.8% | 0.9× | 6,178 | |
| 5 | France | 259 | 7.3% | 1.0× | 390 | |
| 6 | South Korea | 186 | 5.3% | 1.3× | 1,051 | |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 166 | 4.7% | 1.2× | 204 | |
| 8 | Canada | 87 | 2.5% | 0.9× | 117 | |
| 9 | Spain | 69 | 2.0% | 0.6× | 80 | |
| 10 | Italy | 46 | 1.3% | 0.6× | 71 | |
| 11 | Israel | 42 | 1.2% | 0.7× | 57 | |
| 12 | Türkiye | 31 | 0.9% | 2.9× | 43 | |
| 13 | Sweden | 30 | 0.9% | 0.7× | 35 | |
| 14 | Australia | 30 | 0.9% | 1.3× | 35 | |
| 15 | Netherlands | 29 | 0.8% | 0.9× | 37 | |
| 16 | Taiwan | 27 | 0.8% | 0.6× | 43 | |
| 17 | Belgium | 23 | 0.7% | 1.1× | 28 | |
| 18 | Denmark | 22 | 0.6% | 0.6× | 24 | |
| 19 | Singapore | 22 | 0.6% | 0.8× | 24 | |
| 20 | Ireland | 21 | 0.6% | 0.9× | 29 | |
| 21 | Austria | 20 | 0.6% | 0.7× | 22 | |
| 22 | Switzerland | 19 | 0.5% | 0.5× | 24 | |
| 23 | Finland | 17 | 0.5% | 0.3× | 19 | |
| 24 | India | 16 | 0.5% | 3.0× | 17 | |
| 25 | Brazil | 14 | 0.4% | 0.8× | 26 | |
| 26 | Russia | 13 | 0.4% | 0.6× | 145 | |
| 27 | Norway | 10 | 0.3% | 0.3× | 21 | |
| 28 | Poland | 8 | 0.2% | 1.0× | 43 | |
| 29 | New Zealand | 7 | 0.2% | 0.8× | 7 | |
| 30 | Saudi Arabia | 6 | 0.2% | 2.0× | 7 | |
| 31 | Portugal | 5 | 0.1% | 0.3× | 7 | |
| 32 | Hong Kong | 3 | 0.1% | 0.5× | 3 | |
| 33 | Malaysia | 3 | 0.1% | 0.5× | 4 | |
| 34 | South Africa | 2 | 0.1% | 1.0× | 2 | |
| 35 | Luxembourg | 2 | 0.1% | 0.0× | 3 | |
| 36 | Cayman Islands | 2 | 0.1% | 0.0× | 2 | |
| 37 | Liechtenstein | 2 | 0.1% | 1.0× | 2 | |
| 38 | Hungary | 2 | 0.1% | 0.0× | 2 | |
| 39 | Czechia | 1 | 0.0% | – | 3 | |
| 40 | Mexico | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0× | 2 |
Applicants
The largest applicants by international patent families, 2015 to 2024: across the world, then within each of the five countries with the most families in Air Infrastructure. Names are as held in the source and are not consolidated across subsidiaries.
Global
3,524 international families
BOEING CO · United States
AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH · Germany
AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS · France
GEN ELECTRIC · United States
THE BOEING CO · United States
HONEYWELL INT INC · United States
286
71
71
65
49
46
United States
1,188 international families
BOEING CO
GEN ELECTRIC
THE BOEING CO
HONEYWELL INT INC
GOODRICH CORP
WING AVIATION LLC
286
64
49
46
38
33
Japan
473 international families
TOYOTA MOTOR CO LTD
TOYOTA MOTOR CORP
NILEWORKS INC
MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD
SHINMAYWA IND LTD
NEC CORP
31
31
30
27
26
24
Germany
303 international families
AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
HUEBNER GMBH & CO KG
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK AG
SIEMENS LOGISTICS GMBH
AIRBUS DEFENCE & SPACE GMBH
SIEMENS AG
61
19
16
13
12
11
China
274 international families
SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
SHENZHEN CIMC TIANDA AIRPORT SUPPORT LTD
SZ DJI INNOVATIONS TECH CO LTD
CHINA INT MARINE CONTAINERS GROUP LTD
AUTOFLIGHT KUNSHAN CO LTD
AUTEL ROBOTICS CO LTD
44
13
13
12
10
9
France
259 international families
AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
AIRBUS SAS
SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
AIRBUS
SAFRAN ELECTRONICS & DEFENSE
THALES SA
64
31
21
16
11
11
Similar capabilities
The nine capabilities that share the most international patent families with Air Infrastructure, 2015 to 2024: the families counted in both as a share of those counted in either. Each card shows its five largest countries.
Strategic Infrastructure
Launch, Maintenance & Support
19.7% shared · 739 families in both
United States
France
Germany
United Kingdom
Japan
428
135
90
56
54
Critical Technology
Uncrewed & Collaborative Systems
6.7% shared · 1,278 families in both
United States
Japan
China
South Korea
Germany
3,995
3,332
3,111
1,460
958
Strategic Infrastructure
Air Navigation & Traffic Management
5.5% shared · 566 families in both
United States
Japan
China
France
Germany
2,940
1,014
815
738
380
Strategic Infrastructure
R&D & Testing Facilities
5.0% shared · 309 families in both
United States
France
China
United Kingdom
Germany
1,103
402
262
254
246
Strategic Infrastructure
Manufacturing Facilities
2.8% shared · 152 families in both
United States
France
Germany
United Kingdom
Japan
892
274
266
193
97
National Security
Strategic Lift & Mobility
2.4% shared · 97 families in both
United States
Japan
United Kingdom
China
Spain
286
73
43
38
38
Strategic Infrastructure
Postal & Parcel
2.3% shared · 291 families in both
United States
Japan
China
South Korea
Germany
2,812
1,682
1,237
976
644
Strategic Infrastructure
Logistics, Multimodal & Border Infrastructure
1.1% shared · 349 families in both
United States
Japan
China
Germany
South Korea
7,338
5,665
3,834
2,960
2,293
Critical Technology
Autonomous Systems & Trusted Autonomy
1.0% shared · 599 families in both
Japan
United States
China
Germany
South Korea
15,331
13,144
8,455
5,859
5,850
Crosswalk
How Air Infrastructure is matched to the patent classifications. The entries below were chosen for it; each stands for itself and everything beneath it in the scheme, 59 Cooperative entries in all. A patent family counts when any of its codes, in either scheme and at any office, falls under one of them. Codes since retired are placed under the entries that replaced them.
| Entry | Title in the scheme | Why it is chosen | CPC codes | IPC codes | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B64F1/00 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations | Airport and airfield ground installations | 51 | 30 | 62,048 |
| B64F5/40 | Maintaining or repairing aircraft | Aircraft maintenance and repair | 2 | 2 | 6,358 |
| B64F5/20 | Ground installations for de-icing aircraft | Ground de-icing installations for aircraft | 3 | 3 | 1,470 |
| B64F5/30 | Cleaning aircraft | Aircraft cleaning | 2 | 1 | 2,205 |
| E04H6/44 | Buildings for parking cars, rolling-stock, aircraft, vessels or like vehicles, e.g. garages for storing aircraft | Aircraft hangars | 1 | 1 | 1,927 |
CPC and IPC codes are the codes in use on patent documents, at any office, that fall under the entry. Documents is the larger of the two schemes' counts of documents carrying one of them. An entry with no IPC codes can be told apart only in the Cooperative scheme.
The Cooperative codes in use that count towards Air Infrastructure: 59 codes on 72,462 documents. The full crosswalk is in the cpc-to-capability.csv download.
| Code | Title | Under entry | How placed | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B64F5/40 | Maintaining or repairing aircraft | B64F5/40 | In the scheme | 6,203 |
| B64F1/20 | Arrangement of optical beacons | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 4,110 |
| B64F1/00 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 3,685 |
| B64F1/368 | Arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,927 |
| B64F1/22 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for handling aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,866 |
| B64F1/007 | Helicopter portable landing pads | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,611 |
| B64F1/32 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for handling freight | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,484 |
| B64F1/36 | Other airport installations | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,389 |
| B64F1/305 | Bridges extending between terminal building and aircraft, e.g. telescopic, vertically adjustable | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,364 |
| B64F5/30 | Cleaning aircraft | B64F5/30 | In the scheme | 2,181 |
| B64F1/28 | Liquid-handling installations specially adapted for fuelling stationary aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,168 |
| B64F1/06 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for launching aircraft using catapults | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 2,062 |
| B64F1/222 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for handling aircraft for storing aircraft, e.g. in hangars | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,879 |
| B64F1/18 | Visual or acoustic landing aids | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,871 |
| B64F1/002 | Taxiing aids | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,620 |
| B64F1/02 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,577 |
| B64F1/04 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for launching aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,531 |
| B64F1/227 | Vehicles specially adapted therefor, e.g. aircraft tow tractors for direct connection to aircraft, e.g. tow tractors without towing bars | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,471 |
| E04H6/44 | Buildings for parking cars, rolling-stock, aircraft, vessels or like vehicles, e.g. garages for storing aircraft | E04H6/44 | In the scheme | 1,457 |
| B64F1/362 | Installations for supplying conditioned air to parked aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,448 |
| B64F1/125 | Mooring or ground handling devices for helicopters | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,408 |
| B64F1/029 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables using a cable or tether | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,400 |
| B64F1/12 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for anchoring aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,208 |
| B64F1/205 | Arrangement of optical beacons arranged underground, e.g. underground runway lighting units | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,205 |
| B64F1/3055 | Bridges extending between terminal building and aircraft, e.g. telescopic, vertically adjustable with hinged head interface between aircraft and passenger bridge | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,124 |
| B64F1/366 | Check-in counters | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 1,005 |
| B64F1/322 | Cargo loaders specially adapted for loading air freight containers or palletized cargo into or out of the aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 905 |
| B64F1/005 | Protective coverings for aircraft not in use | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 880 |
| B64F1/26 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for reducing engine or jet noise; Protecting airports from jet erosion | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 817 |
| B64F1/324 | Luggage loaders specially adapted for loading individual luggage items into or out of the aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 806 |
| B64F1/14 | Towers or masts for mooring airships or balloons | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 778 |
| B64F1/027 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables using net or mesh | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 760 |
| B64F1/025 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables using decelerating or arresting beds | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 742 |
| B64F1/10 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for launching aircraft using self-propelled vehicles | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 729 |
| B64F5/20 | Ground installations for de-icing aircraft | B64F5/20 | In the scheme | 718 |
| B64F1/364 | Mobile units | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 682 |
| B64F1/228 | Vehicles specially adapted therefor, e.g. aircraft tow tractors remotely controlled; operating autonomously | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 644 |
| B64F1/30 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for embarking or disembarking passengers | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 643 |
| B64F5/23 | Ground installations for de-icing aircraft by liquid application; Spraying installations therefor, e.g. fitted on vehicles | B64F5/20 | In the scheme | 634 |
| B64F1/35 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for supplying electrical power to stationary aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 629 |
| B64F1/315 | Mobile stairs | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 593 |
| B64F1/31 | Passenger vehicles specially adapted to co-operate, e.g. dock, with aircraft or terminal buildings | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 542 |
| B64F1/16 | Pickets or ground anchors; Wheel chocks | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 537 |
| B64F1/225 | Vehicles specially adapted therefor, e.g. aircraft tow tractors | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 458 |
| B64F1/08 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for launching aircraft using winches | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 451 |
| B64F1/0299 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables characterized by the use of multiple devices | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 420 |
| B64F1/352 | Mobile units | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 401 |
| B64F1/224 | Towing bars | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 391 |
| B64F1/34 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for starting propulsion plant | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 366 |
| B64F1/0297 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables adjustable to align with aircraft trajectory | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 304 |
| B64F1/0295 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables aerodynamically or aerostatically supported, e.g. parafoil or balloon | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 256 |
| B64F1/326 | Supply vehicles specially adapted for transporting catering to and loading into the aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 210 |
| B64F1/24 | Adaptations of turntables | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 207 |
| B64F1/223 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for handling aircraft for towing aircraft | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 177 |
| B64F5/45 | Repairing leakages in fuel tanks | B64F5/40 | In the scheme | 155 |
| B64F1/221 | Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for handling aircraft for handling seaplanes | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 152 |
| B64F5/27 | Ground installations for de-icing aircraft by irradiation, e.g. of infrared radiation | B64F5/20 | In the scheme | 118 |
| B64F1/226 | Vehicles specially adapted therefor, e.g. aircraft tow tractors hand manipulated, e.g. hand carts or motorised walk-type tractors | B64F1/00 | In the scheme | 79 |
| B64F5/305 | Polishing window units | B64F5/30 | In the scheme | 24 |