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International Consolidated Airlines Group vs United Airlines Holdings: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with International Consolidated Airlines carrying a narrow edge on growth. United Airlines still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Peer scores are normalised within each company's primary universe (IAG.L: STOXX 600, UAL: S&P 500).

Updated 2026-05-17

Growth points more clearly toward United Airlines Holdings, Inc., even if the broader score still leans toward International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Airlines

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. IAG.L and UAL share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how IAG.L and United Airlines each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
IAG.L
International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A.
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600
vs
UAL
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
63
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: IAG.L vs UAL Profitability 76 55 Stability 40 26 Valuation 86 85 Growth 56 79 IAG.L UAL
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +23
#2 Profitability +21
#3 Stability +14
#4 Valuation +1
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for IAG.L and UAL Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer IAG.LUAL Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where IAG.L and UAL each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY IAG.L Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 5 pct gap UAL Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 87th 82nd
IAG.L (87th percentile) and UAL (82nd percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both rank well on growth, but United Airlines Holdings, Inc. still sits higher.
Profitability
On profitability, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. still sits higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
IAG.L
56
UAL
79
Gap+23in favour of UAL

The current lead is backed by a stronger multi-year growth trajectory.

What else supports the lead

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 18.8-point ROIC advantage.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and profitability — though growth still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the IAG.L vs UAL comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how IAG.L and UAL each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.