Which airlines around the world had the best on-time performance in 2022? Cirium just released its 2022 On-Time Performance Review, revealing the most on-time airlines and airports of the year.

The report which is published by the global aviation analytics company is considered the gold standard for airline and airport performance. It’s based on data collected and curated from over 600 sources of real-time flight information.

Airlines With The Best On-Time Performance in 2022

The past year was a challenging operational environment, with many airlines and airports experiencing delays, disruptions and resource challenges. Despite this, several stood out for their exceptional on-time performance.

Azul Airlines was the global leader for on-time performance. The Brazilian airline, known for comfortable seats and frequent flights to unique underserved destinations throughout Brazil, had an impressive on-time arrival rate of 88.93%.

Cirium provided regional rankings that give us a winner by region. Delta Air Lines was the top performer in North America, with an on-time arrival rate of 83.63%. Iberia took the title in Europe, with a rate of 85.87%. As previously mentioned, Latin America was home to the global winner Azul Airlines. In the Asia Pacific region, All Nippon Airways was the leading legacy carrier with an on-time arrival rate of 88.61% closely followed by its rival Japan Airlines. Oman Air was the top performer in the Middle East and Africa, with a rate of 91.38%.

Among low-cost carriers, StarFlyer took the title with an on-time arrival rate of 84.8%. This low-cost carrier based in Japan, which operates mainly domestic flights, has been growing in popularity thanks to its affordable prices and comfortable cabins.

Cirium also released a ranking of top-performing global airports in 2022. Tokyo’s Haneda Airport was the top performer in that ranking as the only global airport with an on-time departure rate of over 90%.

It’s worth noting that Cirium defines an on-time flight is defined as one that arrives at its destination within 15 minutes of its scheduled gate arrival. For airports, it’s defined as flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled departure.

Most On-Time Airlines Globally in 2022

Airline	On-time arrival	On time arrival	Total flights
(AD) Azul	1	88.93%	279,722
(NH) ANA	2	88.61%	162,370
(JL) JAL	3	88.00%	165,981
(LA) LATAM Airlines	4	86.31%	451,651
(DL) Delta Air Lines	5	83.63%	1,004,684
(AV) Avianca	6	83.48%	144,525
(EK) Emirates	7	81.30%	137,589
(UA) United Airlines	8	80.46%	789,200
(QR) Qatar Airways	9	78.32%	152,377
(AA) American Airlines	10	78.29%	1,076,100

Most On-Time North American Airlines in 2022

Airline	On-time arrival	On time arrival	Total flights
(DL) Delta Air Lines	1	83.63%	1,004,684
(UA) United Airlines	2	80.46%	789,200
(AS) Alaska Airlines	3	80.36%	243,072
(AA) American Airlines	4	78.29%	1,076,100
(WN) Southwest Airlines	5	74.06%	1,336,888
(F9) Frontier Airlines	6	68.32%	170,047
(B6) JetBlue Airways	7	66.35%	343,673
(G4) Allegiant Air	8	65.93%	117,469
(WS) WestJet	9	59.10%	94,663
(AC) Air Canada	10	54.51%	150,602

Most On-Time European Airlines in 2022

Airline	On-time arrival	On time arrival	Total flights
(IB) Iberia	1	85.87%	91,154
(UX) Air Europa	2	84.10%	48,163
(I2) Iberia Express	3	83.80%	35,665
(VY) Vueling	4	82.04%	197,546
(OS) Austrian	5	82.00%	95,708
(DY) Norwegian Air Shuttle	6	81.29%	71,561
(AZ) ITA Airways	7	80.29%	91,841
(D8) Norwegian Air Sweden	8	79.03%	41,215
(AY) Finnair	9	75.16%	45,727
(LO) LOT Polish Airlines	10	75.08%	85,902

Most On-Time Latin American Airlines in 2022

Airline	On time ranking	On-time ranking	Total flights
(AD) Azul	1	88.93%	279,722
(H2) Sky Airline	2	88.74%	27,161
(CM) Copa Airlines	3	88.02%	104,083
(LA) LATAM Airlines	4	86.31%	451,651
(AV) Avianca	5	83.48%	144,525
(AR) Aerolineas Argentinas	6	82.02%	94,982
(AM) Aeromexico	7	75.83%	113,814
(Y4) Volaris	8	71.61%	187,502

Most On-Time Asia Pacific Airlines in 2022

Airline	On-time arrival	On time arrival	Total flights
(FD) Thai AirAsia	1	91.56%	66,043
(NH) ANA	2	88.61%	162,370
(JL) JAL	3	88.00%	165,981
(HO) Juneyao Airlines	4	86.65%	88,115
(6E) IndiGo	5	84.11%	561,864
(I5) AirAsia India	6	83.70%	60,882
(NZ) Air New Zealand	7	81.29%	156,591
(MH) Malaysia Airlines	8	80.99%	95,962
(UK) Vistara	9	80.98%	87,901
(MM) Peach Aviation	10	79.81%	56,176

Most On-Time Middle East & Africa Airlines in 2022

Airline	On time ranking	On-time ranking	Total flights
(WY) Oman Air	1	91.38%	29,631
(RJ) Royal Jordanian	2	86.76%	28,887
(KU) Kuwait Airways	3	81.64%	25,982
(EK) Emirates	4	81.30%	137,589
(QR) Qatar Airways	5	78.32%	152,377
(ET) Ethiopian Airlines	6	77.30%	102,571
(ME) Middle East Airlines	7	75.91%	20,654
(AT) Royal Air Maroc	8	72.01%	45,062
(LY) El Al	9	69.80%	23,274
(SV) Saudia	10	69.75%	172,797

Most On-Time Low-Cost Carriers in 2022

Airline	On-time arrival	On time arrival	Total flights
(7G) StarFlyer	1	95.23%	21,894
(6J) Solaseed Air	2	94.53%	27,486
(FD) Thai AirAsia	3	91.56%	66,043
(AD) Azul	4	88.93%	279,722
(H2) Sky Airline	5	88.74%	27,161
(HD) Air Do	6	88.34%	22,187
(6E) IndiGo	7	84.11%	561,864
(I2) Iberia Express	8	83.80%	35,665
(I5) AirAsia India	9	83.70%	60,882
(VY) Vueling	10	82.04%	197,546

Bottom line

There’s nothing as basic when boarding a flight as getting to your destination in time. The industry saw a sudden recovery in demand in 2022, which led to a number of operational difficulties. Airlines struggled with understaffing and insufficient capacity, causing delays and cancellations. However, as the industry added workers and adjusted capacity, operations are improving and airlines are actively investing in ensuring better operational reliability.

These airlines were able to put together the pieces to consistently deliver the best on-time performances in the industry for their customers in 2022. As we move into 2023, we can be sure that other airlines will be fighting to dethrone them and move up the list. We’ll be paying close attention to report what airline puts in the best on-time performance in 2023.