Australian Airlines Lag Behind in Global Punctuality Rankings

Signage is seen on display at the Qantas domestic terminal at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 25, 2022. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Australia’s leading carriers—Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia—have fallen short in global rankings for on-time performance.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium, which monitors over five million flights annually, released its latest report showcasing global punctuality leaders.

An on-time flight is one that arrives or departs within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of its scheduled time.

Mexican airlines, Aeromexico, claimed the top spot among global airlines, achieving an impressive 86.7 percent of flights arriving on time in 2024.

Saudia followed closely with 86.4 percent, while Delta Air Lines secured third place at 83.5 percent.

Other top performers included Latam Airlines (82.9 percent) and Qatar Airways (82.8 percent).

By comparison, Qantas managed a 73.85 percent on-time rate, Jetstar achieved 73.39 percent, and Virgin Australia fell slightly behind at 72.7 percent.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Japan Airlines and ANA (All Nippon Airways) dominated the rankings, occupying the first and second positions. Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, and Thai Airways rounded out the top five.

Qantas did not feature among the region’s best-performing airlines.

Qantas’ Legal and Operational Challenges

This underperformance comes amid a challenging period for Qantas. The airline has faced significant public criticism and legal scrutiny over various issues, including being ordered to pay $100 million in penalties for breaching Australian Consumer Law.

In October, the Federal Court ruled against the airline for selling tickets on flights it had already decided to cancel and for failing to notify passengers in a timely manner. This penalty followed legal action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

“This is a substantial penalty, which sets a strong signal to all businesses, big or small, that they will face serious consequences if they mislead their customers,” said ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.

The airline also removed expiry dates on $570 million worth of COVID-related travel credits following customer backlash.

Global Airports Shine in Punctuality

In the airport category, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport emerged as the world’s most punctual global airport, with 86.65 percent of flights departing on schedule. It also topped 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.

Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium, remarked that 2024 “was a challenging year for airlines, with IT outages and severe weather disruptions. Despite these hurdles, airlines and airports have worked tirelessly to provide on-time travel for their customers.”