Rating of the five best airlines in the world by operational performance
Aviation data provider Cirium has published its annual list of the world's most efficient airlines. The winners were divided by size and region.
In 2023, the Colombian airline Avianca Airlines was recognized as the world's most punctual airline with 85.73% of on-time arrivals. The victory came after the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, forcing it to completely change its brand and business model. This was reported by news.yahoo.com.
"The goal of the program is to provide the airline industry and all its stakeholders with a neutral, third-party perspective on the operational performance of individual airlines," said Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen.
Cirium defines "on time" as arriving within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of the airline's scheduled arrival time. Carriers must also meet certain capacity and network requirements to be considered a "global" airline.
For example, Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines has a better on-time performance than Avianca, with 89.46%, making it the most punctual airline in Latin America. However, it does not meet the regional requirements of daily flights to at least three regions to be considered a global airline.
In addition to being recognized as the world's most punctual global airline, Cirium also receives the company's "Platinum Award," which Bowen called the best global airline for "operational excellence."
This year's winner for the third time in a row was Delta Air Lines. The company was also named the fourth most on-time airline among global carriers and the most on-time airline in North America.
According to Bowen, Cirium was selected not only on punctuality but also on "the complexity of its operations and its ability to provide more value to passengers and airports."
Other Cirium winners in 2023 were Spanish low-cost carrier Iberia Express in Europe, Japan's All Nippon Airways in Asia Pacific, and Oman Air in the Middle East and Africa. South African airline Safair became the fastest growing low-cost carrier.
Oman and Safair were the only airlines in the report to achieve an on-time arrival rate of over 90%.
Cirium's senior director of advanced initiatives, David White, said the higher rate is easier to achieve mainly because both airlines are "operating well within their capabilities," explaining that demand does not exceed available seats in both regions.
5. Iberia.
On-time arrival rate in 2023: 84,38%
On-time arrival rate in 2022: 85,87%
Rating in 2022: not qualified as a global airline
4. Delta Air Lines
On-time arrival rate in 2023: 84,72%
On-time arrival rate in 2022: 83,63%
Rating in 2022: 5
3. Qatar Airways
On-time arrival rate in 2023: 85,11%
On-time arrival rate in 2022: 78,32%
Rating in 2022: 9
2. Azul Airlines
On-time arrival rate in 2023: 85,51%
On-time arrival rate in 2022: 88,93%
Rating in 2022: 1
1. Avianca Airlines
On-time arrival rate in 2023: 85,73%
On-time arrival rate in 2022: 83,48%
Rating in 2022: 6