Aeromexik was the world's most punctual airline in 2024, – according to a report published by Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
About 86.7% of monitored flights arrived “on time,” which is defined as arriving within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.
This result was “absolutely” surprise, said Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen “Squawk Box Asia” Friday.
“They had an extraordinary year,” he said. “They increased their punctuality… by as much as 9%. To go from outside the top ten to number one is completely unprecedented.”
Bowen said Aeromexico's promotion is due to the company's culture, investment in new equipment and its relationship with its hub at Mexico City International Airport, which is ranked fourth in the Cirium report for on-time flights among global airports. If both an airline and its hub perform well, “it's because they work effectively as a team,” he said.
Saudia (formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines) took second place among global airlines – up from 9th Cirium Rankings for 2023 — according to the report published on Thursday, 86.35% of flights arrive on time.
According to Cirium, Delta Air Lines was ranked third (83.46%), followed by Latam Airlines (82.89%) and Qatar Airways (82.83%).Timeliness review in 2024For the fourth year in a row, Cirium named Delta “the world's best airline for operational excellence” in recognition of its on-time performance and volume. It is one of the largest airlines in the world.
Overall, on-time aircraft arrivals were down 0.5% in 2024 compared to 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, is hurting overall on-time performance in the industry.
“We also had a lot of unusual weather conditions around the world,” he said.
On-time performance is a key factor in passenger satisfaction and a key health indicator in 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 the on-time performance of regional airlines, with several of them delivering higher on-time performance rates than the global airline list.
The report shows that South African airline Safair landed about 93.82% of its scheduled flights on time. Oman Air did the same on 90.27% of its flights, as did Copa Airlines, Panama's flag carrier (88.22%) and Royal Jordanian Airlines (87.02%).
In Europe, Iberia Express (84.69%) and Iberia (81.58%) took 1st and 2nd place, as in Cirium rankings for 2023 on time.
Japan's two largest airlines – Japan Airlines (80.90%) and All Nippon Airways (80.62%) – again topped the Asia-Pacific list, but according to Cirium, both airlines' on-time percentages fell last year compared to by 2023
Delta Air Lines ranks first in North America, followed by United Airlines (80.93%) and Alaska Airlines (79.25%).
The best airports in terms of punctuality
According to Cirium's annual report, Cirium International Airport King Khalid Airport in Saudi Arabia was ranked number one among the world's airports, and in 2024, over 86% of its flights departed on time.
On-time flights at airports are defined as those that depart within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times.
The report shows that Tocumen International Airport in Panama (90.34%) topped the ranking of medium-sized airports, and Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport in Ecuador (91.38%) was recognized as the most punctual small airport airport in the world.
Letters
Here are Cirium's top five rankings for 2024:
Global airlines
- Aeromexik – 86.7%
- Saudi Arabia – 86.35%
- Delta Airlines – 83.46%
- Latam Airlines – 82.89%
- Qatar Airways – 82.83%
Europe
- Iberia Express (Spain) – 84.69% (#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% (#1 in 2023)
- Royal Jordan Airlines – 87.02%
- Saudi Arabia – 86.35%
- Kuwait Airways – 84.63%
Asia and the Pacific
- Japanese Airlines – 80.9%
- All Nippon Airways – 80.62% (#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% (#1 in 2023)
- Aeromexik -86.7%
- Caribbean Airlines – 85.47%
- Goal 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%