The Most Punctual Airlines in the World

With the arrival of the new year, it is time to look back and consolidate all that happened in the last year. This is also true in the world of aviation. What better way to analyse 2017 then to take a look at which airlines operated the most flights on time? One of the most prestigious companies that collects flight data of the major world carriers, OAG, recently released the rankings related to the punctuality of airlines and airports.

To be considered on time, an aircraft must arrive at its final destination no more than 15 minutes later than the scheduled arrival time (as stated on the passengers’ tickets). In 2017, Air Baltic reigned supreme and was successful in taking the first place with an average of 90.01% of its flights arriving on time. Sharing the podium with the Latvian carrier are Hong Kong Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Aer lingus placed tenth with an average 84.46% of its flights having arrived on time.

How did the low-cost companies fare? Well, the Spanish airline: Vueling, takes first place; followed by Jetstar Asia (Singapore); Skymark Airlines (Japan) and Transavia (the Netherlands). While easyJet only ranked twentieth, Ryanair did not even qualify, having achieved a general punctuality rate of less than 80%.

Next to the airlines themselves, rankings have also been made for their airports. Among the medium-sized airports, Birmingham (BHX) topped the list with an estimated 89.52% of flights being on time. With regards to mega airports, London Heathrow (LHR) placed tenth with 74.80%.