(CNN) — Too often, airline and airport headlines focus on the bad: long delays, inclement weather, passenger nightmares, and the like.
So when there’s an opportunity to celebrate something good in the world of aviation, it’s good to see.
Aviation analytics company Sirius analyzed several indicators to find out which airlines and airports around the world have the best on-time ratings. No matter where you live (or plan to go) in the world, these statistics give you some hope that your next trip will be a smooth ride.
fly high
Although Sirius recognizes winners on different continents, the overall award for Most Punctual Airline was won by Colombian airline Avianca. It is part of the Star Alliance network, usually with a lowercase A at the beginning of its logo.
Although Avianca received the general recognition, the airline that held the title of the most frequent flyer in South America was the national airline of Panama, Copa.
Delta Air Lines received high marks in North America. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Japanese All Nippon Airways (ANA) was the longest-serving airline in Asia. In North America it was Delta Air Lines, while Iberia Express took the title in Europe. The most punctual airline in the Middle East and Africa was Oman Air, which celebrated its 30th birthday in 2023.
However, digging a little deeper into the data reveals a more varied picture of punctuality.
Sirius looked at several factors when compiling its rankings: on-time arrivals, flights tracked and total flights taken. According to Sirium’s analysis, Avianca had 85.73% on-time arrivals out of a total of 213,039 flights.
Meanwhile, two US-based airlines – Delta and American Airlines – trailed the rest of the list in terms of total flights. Delta had 1,635,486 flights in 2023, with an on-time arrival rate of 84.72%; American was responsible for 1,998,844 flights with a successful on-time arrival record of 80.61%.
Qatar Airways (85.11%) and Japan Airlines (82.58%) also scored high.
For David White, senior director of advanced initiatives at Sirium, 2023 was a year of resilience for the airline industry after the pandemic hit.
“Despite the challenges, the leading airlines managed to finish the year with impressive on-time performance metrics,” White said in a statement.
Sirius also published small, low-cost airlines. Rounding out the top five were Safair (South Africa), Azul (Brazil), Hong Kong Express, Jetstar Japan and Iberia Express (Spain).
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) took home the award in the large airport category. Credit: Anthony Souffle/AP
The full report also notes that not all delays are the airline’s fault. Weather, airport traffic and staffing issues can also be contributing factors.
Airport Rewards
According to Cirium, the world’s best airport for punctuality in 2023 was Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) in Minnesota.
Osaka International (ITM) was the most on-time medium-sized airport in Japan. It is not Osaka’s main air hub, however, as most international visitors arrive via Kensai International Airport (KIX), about an hour from the city.
Osaka International, also called Itami, is a small airport that, despite its name, functions as a national hub in the country.
Meanwhile, the winner in the small airport category was Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), which serves Quito, Ecuador.
