Severe weather, computer problems, and, in the U.S., an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers combined to thwart airlines’ efforts to stay punctual in 2024. 

Yet many carriers around the world managed to stick to their flight schedules more than 80% of the time, according to the 16th annual on-time performance review released by aviation analytics company Cirium

The group score for North American airlines didn’t quite reach the 80% mark. Instead, they posted an arrival rate of 76.37% for the year, according to Cirium. That’s higher than 2023’s score of 74.45%. 

Perhaps most remarkable is that the carrier with North America’s highest on-time arrival rate in 2024, per Cirium, is Delta Air Lines at 83.46%. Following the CrowdStrike cybersecurity failure that disrupted thousands of flights in July, Delta’s recovery from the episode was, as Cirium’s report puts it, “much slower than other carriers,” dragging on for a frustrating week of delays and cancellations. 

Still, when the entire year is taken into account, Delta managed to outdo all other U.S. airlines in avoiding delays, the report states, because Delta’s “performance the other 51 weeks of the year exceeded rivals by significant margins.”

Course, that might not make you feel better about the airline if you were a Delta passenger during the CrowdStrike fiasco. 

Delta ranked third for on-time performance worldwide. In the top spot: Mexico’s Aeromexico, which managed an impressive on-time arrival rate of 86.7%, followed by Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, at 86.35%. 

In Aeromexico’s case, Cirium’s analysts cite investments in fleet modernization and technology improvements as reasons for the airline’s world-leading punctuality. 

Aside from Delta, another U.S.-based airline made the global top 10: United Airlines, in 10th place with an on-time arrival rate of 80.93%

To calculate its on-time rates, Cirium uses data collected from millions of flights across the globe. A flight is considered on time when it arrives at the gate within 15 minutes of what the schedule says.

 

The World’s Most On-Time Airlines in 2024

  • 1. Aeromexico, Mexico (86.70% on-time arrival rate)  
  • 2. Saudia, Saudi Arabia (86.35%)
  • 3. Delta Air Lines, United States (83.46%)
  • 4. LATAM Airlines, Chile (82.89%) 
  • 5. Qatar Airways, Qatar (82.83%)
  • 6. Azul, Brazil (82.42%)
  • 7. Avianca, Colombia (81.80%)
  • 8. Iberia, Spain (81.58%)
  • 9. SAS, Sweden (81.40%)
  • 10. United Airlines, U.S. (80.93%)

 

The World’s Most On-Time Airports in 2024

Cirium also ranks the world’s airports for on-time performance, based on departure rates. A flight is considered on time when the plane leaves the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure.

Here’s the top five: 

  • 1. King Khalid International Airport (RUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (86.65% on-time departure rate)
  • 2. Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM), Lima, Peru (84.57%)
  • 3. Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX; 84.04%)
  • 4. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC; 83.80%)
  • 5. Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL), Santiago, Chile (82.84%)

 

Three U.S. airports just missed the highest echelon for on-time departures. Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP; 82.27%), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD; 82.23%), and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW; 82.06%) placed sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively. 

For more information about the on-time performance of airlines and airports in 2024, go to Cirium.com

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