Most on-time airlines and airports of 2023 unveiled by Cirium

In an industry synonymous with operational complexity, Cirium, the world's most trusted source of aviation analytics, today announces its much-anticipated 2023 On-Time Performance Review that celebrates operating excellence. This year's winners, hailing from every corner of the globe, have not only risen to the occasion but have set new benchmarks in operational performance and punctuality.

Delta Air Lines has been honored with the Cirium Platinum Award for the third year running, a demonstration of its commitment to operational performance and minimizing passenger disruption.

Along with Delta winning the Cirium Platinum Award, the airline also topped the rankings for being the most on-time airline in North America. The coveted position of the most on-time Global airline went to Avianca Airlines, based in Bogota, Columbia. The winners in the other regions are ANA for Asia Pacific, Oman Air for the Middle East and Africa, Copa in Latin America, and Iberia Express in Europe. Safair was the leading low-cost carrier and Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport was the top airport performer globally. 

An on-time flight is defined as a flight that arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival. For an airport, it is defined as departing within 15 minutes of its scheduled departure.

Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium, remarks: "It's incredible to witness Delta Air Lines winning its third consecutive Platinum Award and topping the North American Category. Other airline and airport winners steered through the year's operational hurdles with exceptional performance. Their relentless pursuit of efficiency and punctuality is commendable as we venture into 2024, a year brimming with promise for the aviation sector."

Now in its 15th year, the Cirium On-Time Performance program continues to meticulously monitor global airline operational performance. Our extensive and unbiased data, derived from over 600 real-time information sources, is essential for industry stakeholders. Our data encompasses airlines, airports, global distribution systems, civil aviation authorities, and more, ensuring a comprehensive and neutral perspective.

Cirium continues monitoring aviation on-time performance in the New Year, as the industry adjusts to post-pandemic norms. The company’s data and analytics are designed to provide industry stakeholders with a neutral, third-party perspective, based on the widest and deepest pool of information collected and curated from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information.

These include the airlines themselves, airports, global distribution systems, positional data, civil aviation authorities, air navigation service providers, proprietary data partnerships and the internet. Cirium’s on-time performance data is backed by a completely independent board of advisors, comprised of industry experts with an unbiased view of the aviation sector. The board’s oversight ensures accuracy and proper representation of all the information the company presents.

The results for 2023 for the top 5 performers in all categories include the following:

Global airline leaders were:

Airline		On time ranking		On time arrival		Total flights
Avianca Airlines (AV)		1		85.73%		213,039
Azul Airlines (AD)		2		85.51%		310,972
Qatar Airways (QR)		3		85.11%		183,090
Delta Air Lines (DL)		4		84.72%		1,635,486
Iberia (IB)		5		84.38%		170,750

The top performing global airports of 2023 were:

Airport		On time ranking		On time departure		Total flights
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)		1		84.44%		289,817
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD)		2		84.42%		168,426
Kempegowda International Airport (BLR)		3		84.08%		237,461
El Dorado International Airport (BOG)		4		84.01%		292,486
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)		5		83.99%		226,705

In North America the leading airlines were:

Airline		On time ranking		On time arrival		Total flights
Delta Air Lines (DL)		1		84.72%		1,635,486
Alaska Airlines (AS)		2		82.25%		404,925
American Airlines (AA)		3		80.61%		1,998,844
United Airlines (UA)		4		80.04%		1,513,432
Southwest Airlines (WN)		5		76.26%		1,459,926

In Europe the leading airlines were:

Airline		On time ranking		On time arrival		Total flights
Iberia Express (I2)		1		84.58%		40,985
Iberia (IB)		2		84.38%		170,750
Austrian Airlines (OS)		3		82.99%		113,587
LOT Polish Airlines (LO)		4		82.83%		96,112
Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY)		5		82.75%		82,791

In Latin America the leading airlines were:

Airline		On time ranking		On time arrival		Total flights
Copa Airlines (CM)		1		89.46%		115,657
Avianca Airlines (AV)		2		85.73%		213,039
Azul Airlines (AD)		3		85.51%		310,972
LATAM Airlines (LA)		4		84.00%		508,721
Caribbean Airlines (BW)		5		81.73%		26,644

In Asia Pacific the leading airlines were:

Airline		On time ranking		On time arrival		Total flights
All Nippon Airways (NH)		1		82.75%		302,279
Japan Airlines (JL)		2		82.58%		308,302
Thai AirAsia (FD)		3		82.52%		113,871
IndiGo (6E)		4		82.12%		678,446
Air New Zealand (NZ)		5		79.68%		175,876

In the Middle East and Africa the leading airlines were:

Airline		On time ranking		On time arrival		Total flights
Oman Air (WY)		1		92.53%		45,908
Safair (FA)		2		92.36%		55,444
Royal Air Jordanian (RJ)		3		87.51%		32,706
Qatar Airways (QR)		4		85.11%		183,090
Etihad Airways (EY)		5		82.90%		65,376

The leading low-cost carriers were:

Airline		On time ranking		On time arrival		Total flights
Safair (FA)		1		92.36%		55,444
Azul Airlines (AD)		2		85.51%		310,972
Hong Kong Express (UO)		3		85.23%		23,761
Jetstar Japan (GK)		4		84.60%		33,932
Iberia Express (I2)		5		83.58%		40,985

The full 2023 On-Time Performance Review is available for download at Cirium.com/on-time-performance