Australian Airlines Lagging in Global Punctuality Rankings
Australian airlines missed out on the top 5 in the Asia-Pacific region, with Japan Airlines leading the pack, followed by ANA, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, and Thai Airways.
Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia, the leading carriers in Australia, did not fare well in global rankings for on-time performance.
Research from aviation analytics firm Cirium, which tracks over five million flights annually, revealed the best performers in punctuality worldwide.
An on-time flight is defined as one that arrives or departs within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of its scheduled time.
Aeromexico, a Mexican airline, claimed the top spot globally with an impressive 86.7% of flights arriving on time in 2024.
Saudia followed closely behind with 86.4%, while Delta Air Lines secured third place at 83.5%.
Other top performers included Latam Airlines at 82.9% and Qatar Airways at 82.8%.
Qantas managed a 73.85% on-time rate, Jetstar achieved 73.39%, and Virgin Australia fell slightly behind at 72.7%.
Qantas did not feature among the top-performing airlines in the Asia-Pacific region where Japan Airlines and ANA dominated the rankings.
Qantas’ Legal and Operational Challenges
This underperformance for Qantas comes during a challenging period where the airline has faced public criticism and legal scrutiny for various issues, including being fined $100 million for breaching Australian Consumer Law.
In October, the Federal Court ruled against the airline for selling tickets on cancelled flights and failing to notify passengers promptly, following legal action by The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The airline also responded to customer backlash by removing expiry dates on $570 million worth of COVID-related travel credits.
Global Airports Shine in Punctuality
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport emerged as the world’s most punctual global airport with 86.65% of flights departing on time, leading the “Large Airport” category.
Panama’s Tocumen International Airport won the “Medium Airport” title, while Ecuador’s Guayaquil Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport led the “Small Airport” category.
Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen noted that despite challenges like IT outages and severe weather disruptions in 2024, airlines and airports worked tirelessly to provide on-time travel for customers.
