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Aeromexico was the world’s most punctual airline in 2024, according to a report published by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
About 86.7% of tracked flights arrived on time, defined as arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time.
This result was “absolutely” surprise, said Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen”Squawk Box Asia“Friday.
“They had a great year,” he said. “They increased their on-time performance … by a whopping 9%. To go from outside the top 10 to No. 1 is completely unprecedented.”
Bowen said Aeromexico’s rise is due to the company’s culture, investments in new equipment and its relationship with its hub at Mexico City International Airport, which ranked fourth for on-time flights among global airports in a Cirium report. When both the airline and its center do well, “it’s because they work effectively as a team,” he said.
Saudia (formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines) ranked second among global airlines — rising from 9th in Cirium rating for 2023 — 86.35% of flights arrive on time, according to a report published on Thursday.
Delta Air Lines (83.46%) ranked third, followed by Latam Airlines (82.89%) and Qatar Airways (82.83%), according to Cirium “Timely performance review for 2024.” For the fourth year in a row, Cirium has named Delta the “World’s Best Airline for Operational Excellence” in recognition of its punctuality and size. It is one of the largest airlines in the world.
Overall, the number of on-time flights in 2024 was down 0.5% from the previous year, Bowen said.
He said the Crowd Strike software update, which inadvertently grounded thousands of flights, particularly those operated by Delta Air Lines, hurt the industry’s overall punctuality.
“We’ve also had a lot of abnormal weather around the world,” he said.
On-time performance is a critical factor in passenger satisfaction and a key indicator of airline health. Delays often increase costs for airlines while reducing crew morale, especially among those who interact directly with travelers seeking answers about delays.
Regional airline winners
The report also analyzed the on-time performance of regional airlines, some of which have a higher on-time percentage than the global airline list.
According to the report, South African airline Safair landed about 93.82% of its scheduled flights on time. Oman Air did the same for 90.27% of its flights, as did Copa Airlines, the national carrier of Panama (88.22%), and Royal Jordanian Airlines (87.02%).
In Europe, Iberia Express (84.69%) and Iberia (81.58%) came in at number 1 and 2, as in Cirium’s timely ranking for 2023.
Japan’s two largest airlines — Japan Airlines (80.90%) and All Nippon Airways (80.62%) — once again topped the Asia-Pacific list, but both saw their on-time percentage decline last year compared to 2023, according to Cirium.
Delta Air Lines ranked first in North America, followed by United Airlines (80.93%) and Alaska Airlines (79.25%).
The best airports for on-time work
According to Cirium’s annual report, Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport ranked first among the world’s airports, with more than 86% of its flights arriving on time in 2024.
On-time flights at airports are defined as those departing within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure time.
Panama’s Tocumen International Airport (90.34%) topped the ranking of medium-sized airports, while Ecuador’s José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (91.38%) was named the most punctual small airport in the world, the report showed.
Lists
Here are the top five Cirium rankings in 2024:
World airlines
- Aeromexico — 86.7%
- Saudi Arabia — 86.35%
- Delta Air Lines — 83.46%
- Latam Airlines — 82.89%
- Qatar Airways — 82.83%
Europe
- Iberia Express (Spain) — 84.69% (No. 1 in 2023)
- Iberia (Spain) — 81.58%
- Scandinavian Airlines — 81.4%
- Vueling Airlines (Spain) — 81.2%
- Norwegian — 79.23%
Middle East and Africa
- Safair (South Africa) — 93.82%
- Oman Air — 90.27% (No. 1 in 2023)
- Royal Jordanian Airlines — 87.02%
- Saudi Arabia — 86.35%
- Kuwait Airways — 84.63%
Asia-Pacific region
- Japan Airlines — 80.9%
- All Nippon Airways — 80.62% (No. 1 in 2023)
- Singapore Airlines — 78.67%
- Air New Zealand — 77.58%
- Thai AirAsia — 77.46%
North America
- Delta Air Lines — 83.46% (#1 in 2023)
- United Airlines — 80.93%
- Alaska Airlines — 79.25%
- American Airlines — 77.78%
- Southwest Airlines — 77.77%
Latin America
- Copa Airlines (Panama) — 88.22% (No. 1 in 2023)
- Aeromexico —86.7%
- Caribbean Airlines — 85.47%
- Gol Linhas Aereas (Brazil) — 84.09%
- Argentine Airlines — 83.06%
Cheap carriers
- Iberia Express (Spain) — 84.69%
- Goal (Brazil) — 84.09%
- Azul Airlines (Brazil) — 82.42%
- Peach Aviation (Japan) — 82.32%
- Vueling Airlines (Spain) — 81.2%
