ADVERTISEMENTIberia and SAS are the only European winners ranked for on-time performance among the top ten airlines globally, according to a new report.
Airlines were ranked globally and by region, with a separate category for low-cost carriers. Performance was evaluated on airlines’ on-time arrival and percentage of flights completed.
The survey from aviation analytics consultancy Cirium evaluated more than three million flights every month in 2024, with data from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information worldwide.
For the global category, Cirium analysed the top ten per cent of all passenger airlines by capacity and volume criteria. These airlines under review also had to serve at least three regions. In the low-cost carrier category, the top 50 per cent of airlines were considered, and the top 30 per cent in the regional category (15 per cent for North America).
This report comes amid ongoing issues in the aviation industry, including cybersecurity disruptions such as the Crowdstrike outage and extreme weather events impacting aviation in 2024, according to Cirium.
Which airline achieved the best on-time performance in 2024?
Aeromexico, Mexico’s largest airline, was named the most on-time global airline in 2024, with an on-time performance rate of 86.7 per cent.
It is followed by the national airline of Saudi Arabia, Saudia, with a score of 86.35 per cent, and the major US airline Delta Air Lines, which scored 83.46 per cent across 1,712,529 flights.
The Spanish budget airlineIberia Express won in both the Europe and Low-Cost Airline categories for the second year running, with 84.69 per cent of its 44,140 flights arriving on time.
Iberia Express is a ‘leader in Europe for reliability’
The short and medium-haul Spanish airline has recently expanded its destinations list, with growth in seasonal routes to Marrakech (+460 per cent), Menorca (+52 per cent), Edinburgh (+250 per cent), and Cairo (+885 per cent).
“Spain’s Iberia Express has firmly established itself as a leader in Europe’s competitive low-cost market”, said Isaac Pato, a senior data analyst at Cirium, who explained that the airline “continues to prove that affordability can coexist with punctuality.”
“This Iberia subsidiary not only delivers consistent reliability for intra-European routes but also reinforces Spain’s reputation for cutting-edge aviation services,” Pato added.
“Whether traveling for business or leisure, passengers can count on Iberia Express.”
As well as Iberia Express, a further two European airlines ranked in the top ten for low-cost carriers, with Vueling in the fifth spot at 81.20 per cent, while Norwegian ranked in seventh place.
Which are the best airlines in Europe?
Spain and Scandinavia dominated the European airlines category.
Following Iberia Express, parent company Iberia took second place with 81.58 per cent on-time arrival for its 183,268 flights. Based in Madrid, Iberia is part of the International Airlines Group alongside Iberia Express.
ADVERTISEMENTScandinavia’s SAS came third, with an on-time performance rate of 81.40 per cent. The national airline of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, SAS serves 135 international destinations and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden.
Spain’s Vueling took fourth place with 81.20 per cent, while Norwegian Airlines also reached the top five with an on-time score of 79.23 per cent.
Air Europa (78.99 per cent), Austrian Airlines (78.72 per cent), Brussels Airlines (77.77 per cent), LOT Polish Airlines (77.72 per cent) and Norwegian Air Sweden (76.04 per cent) made up the last five places in the top ten for Europe.
Which were the most on-time airports?
Airports were also in the running for Cirium’s Platinum Operational Excellence awards, which recognised individual achievement in quick turnaround times, efficient baggage handling, modern infrastructure, and cost-effectiveness.
ADVERTISEMENTSaudia Arabia’s Riyadh King Khalid International Airport was found to be the most on-time airport globally, with 86.65 per cent of flights departing on time. The Middle Eastern travel hub also won in the ‘Large Airport’ category.
No European airports were placed in the top-performing airports.