SINGAPORE – Singapore Airlines (SIA) was the third most punctual airline in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) in 2024, behind Japanese carriers Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA).

SIA’s on-time performance score was 78.67 per cent in 2024, compared with 78.57 per cent in 2023, when it was ranked seventh in the region.

This data was released on Jan 1 by Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

A flight must arrive or depart within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of its scheduled arrival or departure time to be considered on time, according to Cirium.

Apac winner JAL’s on-time performance came in at 80.9 per cent, with ANA a close second at 80.62 per cent.

The Japanese carriers also topped the regional rankings in 2023, with ANA recording 82.75 per cent and JAL 82.58 per cent.

“(In the) Asia-Pacific, the on-time performance has dropped by just a slight 1 per cent or so (overall across all airlines), but the positions (of the top airlines) have almost been maintained,” said Cirium’s chief marketing officer, Mr Mike Malik, at a virtual press conference in December 2024.

SIA climbed the Apac rankings despite not recording a significant improvement in on-time performance as the performance of other airlines has dropped, Mr Malik said.

“Singapore has stayed steady and maintained its standard,” he added.

SIA also had a low flight cancellation rate of 0.08 per cent, far below the average of 1 per cent or higher for most airlines.

Apart from JAL and ANA, SIA was eclipsed in 2023 by low-cost carriers Thai AirAsia and IndiGo, as well as flag carriers Air New Zealand and Garuda Indonesia.

When asked to comment on the airline’s on-time performance, an SIA spokesperson said: “Singapore Airlines remains firmly committed to operational excellence and enhancing the end-to-end travel experience for all our customers.”

Separately, Singapore-based low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia clocked an on-time performance score of 72.18 per cent in 2024. Its ranking was not disclosed.

Cirium was unable to provide the on-time performance score of Scoot, the budget subsidiary of SIA, because of insufficient data.

Globally, the most punctual airline was Aeromexico, the flag carrier of Mexico, with a score of 86.7 per cent.

Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, came in second (86.35 per cent), and Delta Air Lines from the US ranked third (83.46 per cent).

No Singaporean carrier ranked in the top 10 globally for on-time performance.

Responding to a question about whether the age of an airline’s fleet had any impact on its on-time performance, Mr Malik said older fleets “do present a problem”.

“Older aircraft are less reliable. As aircraft deteriorate, engine performance and airframe performance deteriorate, and yes, the newer the aircraft, the more reliable it is, just like having a new car and an old car,” he said.

As for the most on-time airports, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, came out on top, clinching the top spot globally as well as in the large airport category, for those with 25 million to 40 million outgoing passengers.

Its on-time performance score was 86.65 per cent.

After it were second-placed Lima Jorge Chavez International Airport in Peru (84.57 per cent) and third-placed Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport (84.04 per cent).

For airports, this means that aircraft must depart within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of their scheduled departure time.

Changi Airport did not rank among the top 10 airports globally, scoring 74.95 per cent. Its operator Changi Airport Group declined to comment on its on-time performance score.

Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport won in the medium airport category (15 million to 25 million seats), with a score of 90.34 per cent.

The most punctual small airport (five million to 15 million seats) was Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with a score of 91.38 per cent.

The only Apac airports among the rankings were Japan’s Osaka Itami International Airport, which came in third in the medium airports category with a score of 88.18 per cent, and Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airport, which ranked eighth in the small airports category with a score of 85.98 per cent.

Mr Malik said Cirium tracked 35 million flights across the world to come up with its on-time performance rankings for airlines and airports.

Cirium’s annual on-time performance report is based on data from 600 sources, including global air traffic control systems, data feeds from airlines, satellite tracking and government authorities, he said.

Cirium has multiple sources for each airline and airport, and the company “verifies and corrects” this data before publishing it, he added.

New in 2024 was Cirium’s airport platinum award, which went to El Dorado International Airport in Colombia’s capital city Bogota.

The award considered many factors, including the impact of delays on passengers, the duration of disruptions, operational complexity and the airport’s appeal, with a particular focus on growth.

“You wouldn’t pick this airport out normally, but when you look at all the things that we’ve looked at, this airport came out top,” Mr Malik said. The airport’s capacity, growth and performance metrics were some other markers.

Delta Air Lines won the platinum award for airlines in 2024, for the “complexity of their network, the diversity of their fleet, and how well they run their operation”, considering the magnitude of the airline’s operations, Mr Malik said.

The award takes into account an airline’s network, volume of flights and the ability to limit the impact of flight disruptions on passengers.

  • Vanessa Paige Chelvan is a correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes about all things transport and pens the occasional commentary.
  • Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues.

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