CNN
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Headlines about airlines and airports often focus on the negative. significant delay, stormy weather, nightmare passenger Such.
So when you have an opportunity to celebrate something good in the aviation industry, you should look.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium crunched the numbers to find out which airlines and airports around the world have the best on-time performance. No matter where in the world you live or are planning to travel, these statistics give you hope that your next trip will be smooth sailing.
Cirium recognizes winners from different continents, but the overall award for most punctual airline went to Avianca, Colombia’s flag carrier. It is usually styled with a lowercase A at the beginning and is part of the Star Alliance network.
While Avianca gained overall recognition, it was Copa, Panama’s national airline, that took the title of South America’s most punctual airline.
The airline with the most scheduled flights in Asia was Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA). In North America, Delta Airlines won, and in Europe, Iberia Express won. The most punctual airline in the Middle East and Africa was Oman Air, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Delta Air Lines has earned a strong reputation in North America.
But digging a little deeper into the data reveals a more diverse side of scheduled flights.
Cirium considered several factors when creating the rankings, including on-time arrivals, tracked flights, and total number of flights. According to Cirium’s analysis, Avianca had an on-time arrival rate of 85.73% of its 213,039 flights.
Meanwhile, two U.S.-based airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, significantly outperformed other airlines in total number of flights. Delta Air Lines had 1,635,486 flights taking off in 2023, with an on-time arrival rate of 84.72%. American Airlines operated her 1,998,844 flights and recorded an on-time arrival rate of 80.61%.
Qatar Airways (85.11%) and Japan Airlines (82.58%) also received high scores.
For David White, senior director of advanced initiatives at Cirium, 2023 was a year of resilience for the pandemic-hit airline industry.
“Despite the challenges, major airlines were able to end the year with impressive on-time performance,” White said in a statement.
Cirium also gave a shout-out to smaller budget airlines. The top five companies were Safair (South Africa), Azul (Brazil), Hong Kong Express, Jetstar Japan, and Iberia Express (Spain).
The full report also notes that not all delays are the fault of the airlines themselves. Weather, airport traffic, and staffing issues can also be factors.
Anthony Souffle/AP
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) won in the large airport category.
According to Cirium, the world’s best airport for punctuality in 2023 was Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) in Minnesota.
The most punctual medium-sized airport was Osaka International (ITM) in Japan. However, it is not Osaka’s main aviation hub, as most foreign tourists arrive via Kansai International Airport (KIX), which is about an hour away from the city.
Osaka International, also known as Itami, is a small airport that, despite its name, serves as the country’s domestic hub.
Meanwhile, the winner in the small airport category was Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), serving Quito, Ecuador.
