The Most Punctual Airlines in the World in 2024

Airline meltdowns were one of the unfortunate travel trends of 2024, with technical issues and winter storms causing hundreds of flight delays and cancellations across the US. That’s why this year, it’s more important than ever to book flights with carriers that have a track record of on-time departures and arrivals.

On January 2, 2025, aviation analytics company Cirium released its annual report ranking the most punctual airlines in the world. The data is calculated using 600 global sources, the company says, including published schedules, government agencies, civil aviation authorities, airlines, airports, and major airline reservation systems.

“2024 was a difficult year for airlines, facing a large-scale IT outage, and unseasonable and severe weather patterns,” Jeremy Bowen, the CEO of Cirium, said in a news release. “Despite these challenges, these airlines and airports have worked tirelessly to ensure their customers have a smooth journey and reach their destination on-time.”

The most punctual global airline in 2024 was Mexico’s flag carrier Aeromexico, according to the report, followed by Saudia in second place, and Delta Air Lines in third. Winners in the regional categories include Copa Airlines for Latin America, Delta Air Lines for North America, Iberia Express for Europe, Japan Airlines for Asia-Pacific, and FlySafair for the Middle East and Africa. Iberia Express was also ranked the most punctual airline in the low-cost carrier category.

In addition to airlines, the report ranked the top-performing global airports of 2024. Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh King Khalid International Airport came in first place, with a 86.65% on-time departure rate across 115 routes and 60 airlines served.

While the report’s punctuality rankings are specifically based on timeliness statistics, Cirium’s Airline Platinum Award takes a more holistic approach to defining a carrier’s operational success, including the complexity of the carrier’s network, the volume of flights, and the ability to limit the impact of flight disruptions on passengers over the entire year. In 2024, Delta Air Lines won Cirium’s Platinum Award for the fourth year in a row (Condé Nast Traveler readers also voted them as the best airline in the US in the 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards).

This year, Cirium also announced its first-ever Airport Platinum Award, which considers the impact of delays on passengers, the duration of disruptions, operational complexity, and the airport’s appeal, with a particular focus on growth, the firm says. “A special recognition goes to Delta Air Lines for continuing their outstanding winning streak with Cirium’s Platinum Award for airlines, Copa Airlines for achieving its 10th title as Latin America’s most On-Time airline, Iberia Express for its consistent performance as Europe’s most On-Time airline, and Bogotá El Dorado Airport for securing Cirium’s first-ever Platinum Award for an airport,” Bowen said in the news release.

Below, see the most punctual airlines and airports of 2024, according to Cirium.

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The most punctual global airlines

Aeromexico: 86.70% on-time arrivals
Saudia: 86.35% on-time arrivals
Delta Air Lines: 83.46% on-time arrivals
LATAM Airlines: 82.89% on-time arrivals
Qatar Airways: 82.83% on-time arrivals

The top performing global airports

Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH): 86.65% on-time departures
Lima Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM): 84.57% on-time departures
Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX): 84.04% on-time departures
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC): 83.80% on-time departures
Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez Intl Airport (SCL): 82.84% on-time departures