Airlines and airports around the world are working hard to meet their customers’ on-time expectations. Cirium, an aviation analytics business, has selected the world’s top airlines and airports for on-time performance (OTP) in 2024.
According to the data, Latin American and South American airlines accounted for the majority of the top 10 on-time performers in 2024, with Mexico’s flag carrier leading the way. At the same time, the world’s best-performing airports were found in the Middle East, North America, and South America.
Aeromexico leads the global OTP ranking
According to the most recent data, Aeromexico was named the world’s most on-time “Global Airline” in 2024, with an excellent on-time performance percentage of 86.70%. This is hardly surprising, given that the Mexican national airline was named as the best-performing airline for several months in 2024.
NOTE:- According to Cirium, “an on-time flight is defined as a flight that arrives within 14:59 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival time. Airports measure punctuality as departing flights within 14:59 minutes of their scheduled departure time.”
Aeromexico was closely followed by Middle Eastern carrier Saudia, which had an OTP of 86.35 percent. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines, located in the United States, ranked third in the world with 83.46% of the market and maintained its dominance in North America.
Interestingly, Delta Air Lines took the top rank for the fourth year in a row, earning Cirium’s Platinum Award for worldwide operational excellence. This success comes despite one of the worst IT meltdowns in aviation history, which had a significant impact on Delta’s operations and resulted in about $500 million in losses.
| Ranking | Airline | OTP performance |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Aeromexico | 86.70% |
| 2. | Saudia | 86.35% |
| 3. | Delta Air Lines | 83.46% |
| 4. | LATAM Airlines | 82.89% |
| 5. | Qatar Airways | 82.83% |
| 6. | Azul Airlines | 82.42% |
| 7. | Avianca | 81.80% |
| 8. | Iberia | 81.58% |
| 9. | Scandinavian Airlines | 81.40% |
| 10. | United Airlines | 80.93% |
Commenting on the performances, Jeremy Bowen, Cirium CEO, said:
“2024 was a difficult year for airlines, facing a large-scale IT outage, and unseasonable and severe weather patterns. Despite these challenges, these airlines and airports have worked tirelessly to ensure their customers have a smooth journey and reach their destination on-time.”
When it comes to airport performance, Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH) scored first on the list, with an OTP of 86.65%.
Lima Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) came in second with 84.57% of leaving flights on time, followed by Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) in third with an OTP of 84.04%.
| Ranking | Airport | OTP performance |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH) | 86.65% |
| 2. | Lima Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) | 84.57% |
| 3. | Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) | 84.04% |
| 4. | Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) | 83.80% |
| 5. | Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL) | 82.84% |
| 6. | Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) | 82.27% |
| 7. | Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) | 82.23% |
| 8. | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) | 82.06% |
| 9. | Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL) | 81.91% |
| 10. | Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) | 81.38% |
Top-performing airports and airlines regionally
Cirium has also given data on top-performing airlines and airports in the region. Here’s what it shows.
Europe
The top five European airlines with the best on-time performance were Iberia Express, Iberia, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Vueling, and Norwegian. All carriers behaved equally, with a mere 5% difference between them. Iberia Express’s OTP for 2024 was 84.69%, whereas Norwegian’s was 79.23%.
Notably, none of the UK airlines reached Cirium’s top ten OTP list, either internationally or in Europe. The top-performing carriers in the UK market were Virgin Atlantic (74.01%), Wizz Air UK (70.54%), easyJet (68.43%), and British Airways (67.83%).
North America
Delta (83.46%), United Airlines (80.93%), Alaska Airlines (79.25%), American Airlines (77.78%), and Southwest Airlines (77.77%) were the top five North American airlines in terms of OTP performance.
Asia-Pacific
Japanese airlines dominated the Asian-Pacific region. The top-performing carriers in terms of on-time performance were Japan Airlines (80.90%), All Nippon Airways (80.62%), Singapore Airlines (78.67%), Air New Zealand (77.58%), and Thai AirAsia (77.46%).
Latin America
Copa Airlines (88.22%) was the leading airline in Latin America, followed by Aeromexico (86.70%), Caribbean Airlines (85.47%), Gol Linhas Aereas (84.09%), and Aerolineas Argentinas.
The Middle East and Africa
In the Middle East and Africa, the top five airlines were Safair (93.82%), Oman Air (90.27%), Royal Air Jordanian (87.02%), Saudia (86.35%), and Kuwait Airways (84.63%).
