Which airline and airport offered the most on-time performance in 2022? In this post, we’ll be sharing the top 10 airlines and airports which offered the most on-time performance in 2022 according to CIRIUM.
*Note that for a flight to be on time, it must arrive at the gate within 15 minutes.
Top 10 Global Airlines for On-Time Performance
Azul Airlines has been ranked as the most punctual global airline in 2022, closely followed by Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines. Each of these leaders achieved an on-time performance of over 88% last year.
Moreover, the winners in the regions were Delta Air Lines in North America, Thai AirAsia in Asia-Pacific, Iberia in Europe, Azul in Latin America and Oman Air in the Middle East and Africa.
| Airline | On-time ranking | On-time arrival | Total flights |
| Azul | 1 | 88.93% | 279,722 |
| All Nippon Airlines | 2 | 88.61% | 162,370 |
| Japan Airlines | 3 | 88.00% | 165,981 |
| LATAM Airlines | 4 | 86.31% | 451,651 |
| Delta Air Lines | 5 | 83.63% | 1,004,684 |
| SA AVIANCA | 6 | 83.48% | 144,525 |
| Emirates | 7 | 81.30% | 137,589 |
| United Airlines | 8 | 80.46% | 789,200 |
| Qatar Airways | 9 | 78.32% | 152,377 |
| American Airlines | 10 | 78.29% | 1,076,100 |
Cirium further noted that the Japanese airlines and airports continue to deliver passengers to their arrival gates on time – pandemic or no pandemic.
In 2022, more than 31 million scheduled passenger flights were operated, up by 26% compared with 2021 whereas the seating capacity grew by 32%.
Top 10 Global Airports for On-Time Performance
When it comes to airports, Haneda Airport saw the most on-time performance, with an on-time departure rate of 90.33%, followed by Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Salt Lake City International Airport wrapping up the top three airports with the most on-time performance in 2022.
Six out of the world’s top ten most punctual airports were in the United States, led by Salt Lake City International Airport.
*Note that an airport’s on-time performance is measured by whether flights departed within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure time or not.
| Airport | On-time ranking | On-time departure | Total flights |
| Haneda Airport | 1 | 90.33% | 373,264 |
| Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport | 2 | 84.08% | 201,897 |
| Salt Lake City International Airport | 3 | 83.87% | 226,545 |
| Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport | 4 | 82.62% | 271,963 |
| Philadelphia International Airport | 5 | 82.54% | 233,777 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport | 6 | 81.95% | 276,346 |
| Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport | 7 | 81.84% | 411,205 |
| Seattle-Tacoma International Airport | 8 | 81.04% | 383,250 |
| El Dorado International Airport | 9 | 80.72% | 273,721 |
| Charlotte Douglas International Airport | 10 | 80.68% | 457,871 |
Even though the overall aviation industry is still somehow performing below pre-pandemic levels, airports are adjusting their logistics and continuously working to avoid any staffing issues. In 2022, scheduled flight departures were 19% below 2019 levels, with fourth-quarter departures down by 16%.
Top 10 Airlines for On-Time Performance in North America
In North America, Delta Airlines had the best on-time performance, with an on-time arrival rate of 83.63%. United and Alaska Airlines ranked second and third respectively. Despite facing harsh weather conditions alongside operational issues, all three major US carriers managed to make it into the Global Top 10 list.
Moreover, Delta was also honoured with the Cirium Platinum Award for the second consecutive year. Cirium’s Platinum Award is awarded considering a variety of factors, including on-time performance, operational complexity and an airline’s ability to limit the impact of flight disruption on its passengers.
| Airline | On-time ranking | On-time arrival | Total flights |
| Delta Air Lines | 1 | 83.63% | 1,004,684 |
| United Airlines | 2 | 80.46% | 789,200 |
| Alaska Airlines | 3 | 80.36% | 243,072 |
| American Airlines | 4 | 78.29% | 1,076,100 |
| Southwest Airlines | 5 | 74.06% | 1,336,888 |
| Frontier Airlines | 6 | 68.32% | 170,047 |
| JetBlue Airways | 7 | 66.35% | 343,673 |
| Allegiant Air | 8 | 65.93% | 117,469 |
| WestJet | 9 | 59.10% | 94,663 |
| Air Canada | 10 | 54.51% | 150,602 |
One of the key reasons behind Delta’s success is its comprehensive contingency plan in place to help minimize the impact of delays or disruptions alongside its major focus on operational efficiency and reliability. But Delta’s success in on-time performance doesn’t just rely on the airline itself – it also has a lot to do with the airports it operates out of. Delta operates out of some of the most reliable airports in the United States.
Top 10 Airlines for On-Time Performance in Europe
None of the European Airlines made it into the Top 10 lists of most punctual global airlines. Iberia tops the list of the most punctual airline in Europe with an on-time arrival rate of 85.87%.
| Airline | On-time ranking | On-time arrival | Total flights |
| Iberia | 1 | 85.87% | 91,154 |
| Air Europa | 2 | 84.10% | 48,163 |
| Iberia Express | 3 | 83.80% | 35,665 |
| Vueling | 4 | 82.04% | 197,546 |
| Austrian | 5 | 82.00% | 95,708 |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | 6 | 81.29% | 71,561 |
| ITA Airways | 7 | 80.29% | 91,841 |
| Norwegian Air Sweden | 8 | 79.03% | 41,215 |
| Finnair | 9 | 75.16% | 45,727 |
| LOT – Polish Airlines | 10 | 75.08% | 85,902 |
While Europe saw a gradual increase in demand for air travel with the ease of travel restrictions, things got bad due to widespread staffing issues and shortages among some of the top airlines and airports.
Top 10 Airlines for On-Time Performance in Latin America
Azul and Sky Airlines accounted for the most on-time arrival in Latin America, closely followed by Copa Airlines. Over 88% of their flights arrived on time in 2022.
| Airline | On-time ranking | On-time arrival | Total flights |
| Azul | 1 | 88.93% | 279,722 |
| Sky Airline | 2 | 88.74% | 27,161 |
| Copa Airlines | 3 | 88.02% | 104,083 |
| LATAM Airlines | 4 | 86.31% | 451,651 |
| SA AVIANCA | 5 | 83.48% | 144,525 |
| Aerolineas Argentinas | 6 | 82.02% | 94,982 |
| Aeromexico | 7 | 75.83% | 113,814 |
| Volaris | 8 | 71.61% | 187,502 |
Top 10 Airlines for On-Time Performance in Asia Pacific
Asia-Pacific was considerably slower to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions, compared to the rest of the world. Thai AirAsia topped the list with an on-time arrival of 91.56% in Asia-Pacific.
| Airline | On-time ranking | On-time arrival | Total flights |
| Thai AirAsia | 1 | 91.56% | 66,043 |
| All Nippon Airlines (ANA) | 2 | 88.61% | 162,370 |
| Japan Airlines | 3 | 88.00% | 165,981 |
| Juneyao Airlines | 4 | 86.65% | 88,115 |
| IndiGo | 5 | 84.11% | 561,864 |
| AirAsia India | 6 | 83.70% | 60,882 |
| Air New Zealand | 7 | 81.29% | 156,591 |
| Malaysia Airlines | 8 | 80.99% | 95,962 |
| Vistara | 9 | 80.98% | 87,901 |
| Peach Aviation | 10 | 79.81% | 56,176 |
“The past year saw a challenging operational environment across the world, particularly in Europe and North America, with many airlines and airports experiencing delays, disruptions and resource challenges. Others continue to emerge from Covid restrictions, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Despite this climate, many airlines and airports worldwide excelled,” Cirium noted.
Top 10 Airlines for On-Time Performance in the Middle East and Africa
Moving towards the Middle East and Africa, Oman Air topped the list with an on-time arrival rate of 91.38%. Royal Jordanian and Kuwait Airways ranked second and third respectively. Emirates and Qatar Airways had a big year for travel with the delayed Expo 2020 Dubai and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 both taking place last year.
| Airline | On-time ranking | On-time arrival | Total flights |
| Oman Air | 1 | 91.38% | 29,631 |
| Royal Jordanian | 2 | 86.76% | 28,887 |
| Kuwait Airways | 3 | 81.64% | 25,982 |
| Emirates | 4 | 81.30% | 137,589 |
| Qatar Airways | 5 | 78.32% | 152,377 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 6 | 77.30% | 102,571 |
| Middle East Airlines | 7 | 75.91% | 20,654 |
| Royal Air Maroc | 8 | 72.01% | 45,062 |
| EL AL | 9 | 69.80% | 23,274 |
| Saudia | 10 | 69.75% | 172,797 |
Top 10 Low-Cost Airlines for On-Time Performance
Japan’s StarFlyer was the world’s leading low-cost carrier in terms of on-time performance with an on-time arrival rate of 95.23%. The highest-ranked LCC in Europe was Spain’s Iberia Express, ranked at 8th place.
| Airline | On-time ranking | On-time arrival | Total flights |
| StarFlyer | 1 | 95.23% | 21,894 |
| Solaseed Air | 2 | 94.53% | 27,486 |
| Thai AirAsia | 3 | 91.56% | 66,043 |
| Azul | 4 | 88.93% | 279,722 |
| Sky Airline | 5 | 88.74% | 27,161 |
| Air Do | 6 | 88.34% | 22,187 |
| IndiGo | 7 | 84.11% | 561,864 |
| Iberia Express | 8 | 83.80% | 35,665 |
| AirAsia India | 9 | 83.70% | 60,882 |
| Vueling | 10 | 82.04% | 197,546 |
It is worth noting that on-time performance can be affected by a variety of factors, including the airlines and the airport, but also the route, the time of day, and the weather. Despite this, the airlines and airports mentioned above were able to consistently deliver on-time performance for their passengers.
Source: CIRIUM