These were the world’s most punctual airlines in 2022

As Covid pandemic restrictions are eased and airlines rebuild flight capacity, the performance of the world’s carriers is again falling under the scrutiny of analysts and passengers alike. So which airlines are whizzing people around the world on time? And which are the laggards of the skies?

The most punctual global airline of 2022 was Garuda Indonesia, according to fresh analysis by travel data provider OAG, with 95.63% of the carrier’s flights coming in on time. However, overall operations were way down on 2019 levels, with just 25% of flights taking to the skies.

South African low cost carrier Safair and Germany’s Eurowings took second and third spots in the Punctuality League, with on-time performances of 95.3% and 95.26% respectively. Eurowings, however, was the worst performer in the top 20 when it came to cancelations, with 3.49% of flights scrapped.

Just one US carrier made the top 20 — Delta Airlines in 17th place with 81.79% of flights on time and a cancelation rate of 1.94%. No major European airlines made the grade after a summer of widespread disruption and delays.

Japan dominated the list of the globe’s most punctual airports, taking 10 of the top 20 spots. Osaka International took the top position, with 91.45% of flights in 2022 arriving on time. No North American or European airports were on the list.

“Global on-time performance is reaching levels last seen before the pandemic as carriers work to ease operational pressures and delays," said John Grant, chief analyst at OAG. "Confidence in the travel recovery is growing with airlines placing new aircraft orders, new routes being announced and labor challenges seemingly subsiding.”