Air transport (SIC division 51)
Division 51 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 3 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 51
Air transport is a small division with a clear edge to it. It is for companies that carry passengers or freight by air. The code seen most on the UK register is 51210, freight air transport. It covers cargo airlines, charter operators and firms flying goods under their own air operator certificate. Passenger carriage, scheduled or charter, has separate codes in the division. The test is simple: do you operate the aircraft? Brokers, handlers and travel firms that arrange flights without flying them sit elsewhere. That keeps this division genuinely airline-shaped.
Selling here is niche and high value. Aviation insurers and their brokers want these relationships. So do aircraft finance and leasing specialists, MRO providers, fuel suppliers and ground handling companies. The pool is small enough to cover completely. Recruiters placing pilots, engineers and operations staff use the same codes. A new company in division 51 usually comes before regulatory approvals and buying an aircraft. That phase is expensive and full of advice. Early contact matters far more than volume in this market.
How to read a division 51 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 51 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 51 shares those digits: all 3 codes below begin 51, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 51 sits inside section H, transportation and storage, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.
More on how division 51 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 51210, freight air transport.
Working division 51 as a list
Division 51 holds 3 codes and 4,835 active companies between them. One code carries most of it: 51210 accounts for 51 per cent on its own, and the other 2 codes account for the rest. Filtering by the whole division is therefore close to filtering by 51210 with a tail attached, so start from the code and widen only if the list runs dry.
More on working division 51
A caveat that matters more in some divisions than others: a company may register up to four SIC codes, and the figures below count every position, not just the first. A business filed under two codes in this division appears under both. Treat the totals as reach rather than a headcount, and if you need a clean list, filter to companies whose FIRST code sits in the division. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Prospecting this division
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Division 51 questions
Should a drone operator register under 51210?
Usually not. Code 51210 is for transporting freight by air, so it only fits drone firms that actually carry cargo. Aerial photography and filming companies normally register 74202. Drone survey and inspection work sits better under engineering or other professional codes. SIC codes are self-selected and unchecked. Even so, an airline code on a photography drone business will confuse insurers and banks.
Does an air freight broker or cargo agent belong in division 51?
No. Division 51 is for the carriers themselves. Agents, brokers and general sales agents sell air cargo capacity on other operators' aircraft. They register in division 52, usually under 52290. A company that holds an air operator certificate and runs a brokerage arm can list codes from both divisions. Companies House permits up to four.
Find companies across division 51
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