These Are The World’s Most On-Time Airlines and Airports

Aeromexico has been ranked as the world’s most punctual airline, with an impressive 86.7 percent of its scheduled flights arriving on time in 2024, according to the latest report from leading aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The 2024 On-Time Performance Review, Cirium’s 16th annual report on the operational performance of airlines and airports, revealed that the Mexican flag carrier outperformed all other global airlines last year.

Photo: Aeromexico, Boeing 737 MAX 9. Courtesy of Boeing

Cirium analyzed data from millions of flights worldwide and considers a flight “on time” if it lands at its destination within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled arrival time.

Aeromexico Takes the Lead

Aeromexico narrowly beat runners-up Saudia, which achieved an on-time performance of 86.35 percent, while U.S. legacy carrier Delta Air Lines came in third, with 83.46 percent of its scheduled flights in 2024 arriving on time.

LATAM Airlines and Qatar Airways made up the top five with on-time performances of 82.89 percent and 82.83 percent, respectively.

Photo: Qatar Airways, Airbus A350-1000. Courtesy of Qatar Airways

Meanwhile, the most punctual airline in 2023, Colombian flag carrier Avianca, fell to seventh place in 2024 with 81.8 percent of its flights arriving on time, a drop of almost 4 percent compared to the previous year. United Airlines, in tenth place with an on-time performance of 80.93 percent, was the only U.S. carrier other than Delta to make the top ten.

The ten most punctual global airlines in 2024 were:

A Closer Look at the Top Airlines

Cirium’s Platinum Award for global operational excellence, which considers an airline’s flight network and volume along with its ability to minimize disruption, was handed to Delta for the fourth year running.

The Atlanta-based carrier operated more than 1,712,529 flights in 2024, which averages out at almost 4,680 flights per day, making its on-time performance score of 83.46 percent all the more remarkable.

Photo: Delta Air Lines, Airbus A350-900. Courtesy of Delta

The airline also had to deal with significant challenges last year, not least the widespread disruption caused by a global IT outage in July.

While the outage, caused by a failed update of CrowdStrike cybersecurity software, affected airlines across the globe, Delta was significantly more affected than most other carriers and ended up canceling more than 5,000 flights. Despite this, it still managed to complete 98.95 percent of its scheduled flights last year, according to Cirium.

The ten most punctual airlines in North America in 2024 were:

Worldwide Rankings

Other industry leaders in terms of on-time performance in 2024 include Spanish low-cost carrier Iberia Express, which was the most on-time airline in Europe, with 84.69 percent of its flights landing on time. This also made it the most punctual low-cost carrier globally.

Photo: Japan Airlines, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Courtesy of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Meanwhile, Japan Airlines (JAL) was the most punctual carrier in the Asia-Pacific region, with its on-time performance of 80.90 percent, narrowly beating that of fellow Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA), which operated 80.62 percent of its scheduled flights on time.

Photo: Courtesy of Copa Airlines

Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines, while not considered a ‘global’ airline, achieved an on-time performance of 88.22 percent. This made it the most punctual carrier in Latin America, ahead of Aeromexico in second place. Finally, South African airline Safair achieved an impressive on-time performance of 93.82 percent, making it the most punctual airline in the Middle East & Africa region.

Airport Performance Awards

Cirium also analyzed the on-time performance of airports in 2024, with Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH) taking the top spot globally, with 86.65 percent of its flights departing on time. This was followed by Lima Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) in second place and Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) – the primary hub of Aeromexico – in third.

Photo: Courtesy of Salt Lake City International Airport / HOK Architects

Overall, it was a good year for airports in the U.S., with no less than four American hubs making the top 10 globally: Salt Lake City (SLC) in fourth, Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) in sixth, Washington Dulles (IAD) in seventh, and Detroit Metropolitan (DTW) in eighth.

The top 10 most on-time global airports in 2024, according to Cirium, were:

Insights from Cirium’s Review

“In an industry defined by operational complexity, we are extremely proud to be celebrating the airlines and airports who have provided customers the most on-time flights and best performance in 2024, acknowledging their operational excellence,” said Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium.

Photo: Courtesy of Denver International Airport.

“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.

“We extend our congratulations to all the winners of this year’s On-Time Performance Review, each of whom has set new standards in operational excellence.”