Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Aeromexico was the most punctual global airline in 2024, according to a report published by the aviation analysis company Cirium.
About 86.7% of its tracked flights arrived “on time,” defined as arriving within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.
This result was “absolutely” surprise, Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen said “Squawk Box Asia” Friday.
“They had a remarkable year,” he said. “They’ve increased their on-time performance … by a whopping 9. To go from outside the top 10 to No. 1 is pretty unprecedented.”
Bowen attributed Aeromexico’s rise to the company’s culture, investment in new equipment, and the relationship with its hub at Mexico City International Airport, which is ranked fourth for on-time flights among world airports in the Cirium report. When both an airline and its hub score well, “it’s because they work effectively as a team,” he said.
Saudi Arabia (formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines) was ranked second among the world’s airlines – from 9th place in Cirium Rankings 2023 – with 86.35% of flights arriving on time, according to the report published on Thursday.
Delta Air Lines (83.46%) placed third, followed by Latam Airlines (82.89%) and Qatar Airways (82.83%), according to Cirium.”2024 Timely performance review. ” For the fourth year in a row, Cirium named Delta the “best global airline for operational excellence”, in recognition of its punctuality and its size. It is one of the largest airlines in the world.
Overall, on-time flight arrivals are down 0.5% in 2024 from the previous year, Bowen said.
He said the CrowdStrike software update, which inadvertently grounded thousands of flights, particularly those operated by Delta Air Lines, hurt the industry’s overall punctuality.
“We also had a lot of abnormal weather conditions around the world,” he said.
On-time performance is a critical factor in passenger satisfaction and a key health check metric for the airline industry. Delays often increase costs for airlines, while lowering crew morale, especially among those who interact directly with travelers seeking answers to delays.
Regional airline winners
The report also analyzed on-time performance for regional airlines, with many delivering higher on-time percentages than the list of global airlines.
South African airline Safair landed about 93.82% of its scheduled flights on time, according to the report. Oman Air did the same for 90.27% of its flights, as did Copa Airlines, the flag of Panama (88.22%), and Royal Jordanian Airlines (87.02%).
In Europe, Iberia Express (84.69%) and Iberia (81.58%) ranked No. 1 and 2, as they did in Current rankings of Cirium 2023.
Japan’s two largest airlines – Japan Airlines (80.90%) and All Nippon Airways (80.62%) – returned to the top of the Asia-Pacific list, but the punctuality percentages for two fell last year from 2023, according to Cirium.
Delta Air Lines is in first place in North America, followed by United Airlines (80.93%) and Alaska Airlines (79.25%).
The best airports for on-time performance
Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport ranked first among world airports, with more than 86% of its flights in 2024 departing on time, according to Cirium’s annual report.
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 for medium-sized airports, while Ecuador’s Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport (91.38%) was named the most punctual small airport in the world, the report showed.
The lists
Here are the top five rankings of Cirium in 2024:
Global airlines
- Aeromexico – 86.7%
- Saudi – 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 – 86.35%
- Kuwait Airways – 84.63%
Asia-Pacific
- 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% (No. 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%
Low-cost carriers
- Iberia Express (Spain) – 84.69%
- Gol (Brazil) – 84.09%
- Azul Airlines (Brazil) – 82.42%
- Peach Aviation (Japan) – 82.32%
- Vueling Airlines (Spain) – 81.2%
