Which airlines have the least delays? Here are the results for 2024

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Aeromexico was the world’s most punctual airline in 2024, according to a report released by aerospace analytics firm 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 told “Squawk Box Asia“Friday.

“They had an outstanding year,” he said. “They increased their on-time performance … by a whopping 9%. To go from outside the top 10 to No. 1 is pretty unprecedented.”

Bowen said Aeromexico’s rise is thanks to the company’s culture, investment in new equipment and its relationship with its hub at Mexico City International Airport, which ranked fourth in Cirium’s report for on-time flights among global airports. When both an airline and its hub score well, “it’s because they work effectively as a team,” he said.

Saudia (formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines) ranked second among the world’s airlines — from 9th in Cirium’s ranking for 2023 — with 86.35% of flights arriving on time, according to a report released Thursday.

Delta Air Lines (83.46%) took third place, followed by Latam Airlines (82.89%) and Qatar Airways (82.83%), according to Cirium’s “Timely performance review for 2024.” For the fourth year in a row, Cirium named Delta the “Best Global Airline for Operational Excellence,” in recognition of its punctuality and size. It is one of the largest airlines in the world.

Overall, on-time flight arrivals fell 0.5% in 2024 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 globally,” 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 reducing crew morale, especially among those who communicate directly with passengers seeking answers to delays.

Regional aerial winners

The report also analyzed on-time performance for regional airlines, with several 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 national carrier of Panama (88.22%), and Royal Jordanian Airlines (87.02%).

In Europe, Iberia Express (84.69%) and Iberia (81.58%) took 1st and 2nd place, as well as in Cirium’s exact ranking for 2023.

Japan’s two largest airlines — Japan Airlines (80.90%) and All Nippon Airways (80.62%) — again topped the Asia-Pacific list, but on-time percentages for both fell last year compared to 2023, according to Cirium.

Delta Air Lines took first place in North America, followed by United Airlines (80.93%) and Alaska Airlines (79.25%).

Best airports for on-time performance

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport is ranked No. 1 among the world’s airports, with more than 86% of its flights departing on time in 2024, 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 mid-sized airport rankings, while Ecuador’s Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport (91.38%) was named the world’s most punctual small airport, the report shows.