South American carrier Azul Brazilian Airlines had the best on-time performance of any airline in the world last year, according to a report from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The report, which measured punctuality based on flights arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time at the gate, found that Azul Brazilian operated nearly 280,000 flights in the year and 88.93% of them arrived on time.
Other South American airlines that ranked highly in the report included LATAM Airlines in Chile, which had an on-time performance of 86.31% across more than 450,000 flights, and Avianca in Colombia, which had an on-time performance of 83.48% across nearly 145,000 flights.
The report’s findings stand in contrast to the chaotic and frequently delayed flights experienced by passengers at other airlines in recent weeks, including those stranded in the Philippines due to a power outage and those affected by delays at Southwest Airlines during the winter holiday season.
According to a report by aviation analytics firm Cirium, Delta Airlines received the Cirium Platinum Award for global operational excellence for the second year in a row. The award takes into account punctuality, operational complexity, and an airline’s ability to limit the impact of flight disruptions on passengers. Delta ranked fifth on the global leaderboard, with 83.63% of its million-plus flights arriving on time.
Other US airlines that performed well in the report included United Airlines, which ranked eighth with 80.46% punctuality, and American Airlines, which ranked tenth with 78.29% punctuality. Southwest Airlines lagged behind with a 74.06% punctuality rate. Six of the world’s ten most punctual airports were located in the US, with Salt Lake City International Airport ranking highest with 83.87% of its 226,545 flights taking off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure time.
Asia-Pacific had slower air travel post-Covid compared to other regions, but Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines ranked second and third in the report. Japan’s StarFlyer was named the leading low-cost carrier, and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport had the highest on-time departure rate globally at 90.33% punctuality across more than 370,000 flights.
The Middle East had a busy year of travel with the delayed Expo 2020 Dubai and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, but Emirates and Qatar Airways both performed well, ranking seventh and tenth, respectively. No European airlines or airports appeared in Cirium’s top ten global leaders, but Spain’s Iberia was named the top performer in Europe with 85.87% punctuality across more than 91,000 flights.
The best global airlines for on-time performance, according to Cirium:
1. Azul Brazilian Airlines (88.93% punctuality; 279,722 flights).
2. All Nippon Airlines (88.61% punctuality; 162,370 flights).
3. Japan Airlines (88.00% punctuality; 165,981 flights).
4. LATAM Airlines (86.31% punctuality; 451,651 flights).
5. Delta Air Lines (83.63% punctuality; 1,004,684 flights).
6. Avianca S.A. (83.48% punctuality; 144,525 flights).
7. Emirates (81.30% punctuality; 137,589 flights).
8. United Airlines (80.46% punctuality; 789,200 flights).
9. Qatar Airways (78.32% punctuality; 152,377 flights).
10. American Airlines (78.29% punctuality; 1,076,100 flights).
The top-performing global airports of 2022 were:
1. Haneda Airport, Tokyo (90.33% punctuality; 373,264 flights).
2. Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore, India (84.08% punctuality; 201,897 flights).
3. Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah (83.87% punctuality; 226,545 flights).
4. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Michigan (82.62% punctuality; 271,963 flights).
5. Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania (82.54% punctuality; 233,777 flights).
6. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minnesota (81.95% punctuality; 276,346 flights).
7. Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi (81.84% punctuality; 411,205 flights).
8. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington (81.04% punctuality; 383,250 flights).
9. El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá (80.72% punctuality; 273,721 flights).
10. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina (80.68% punctuality; 457,871 flights).