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Global OTP Summary – March 2026
The March 2026 On-Time Performance Report shows a significant change in airline and airport operational performance. Global flight cancellations increased 111%, rising from 43,904 in February to 92,523 in March.
Regional flight cancellation trends
Latin America: 36% decrease
Middle East & Africa: 966% increase
Asia Pacific: 72% increase
Europe: 33% increase
North America: 26% increase
The latest airline on-time performance rankings also identified new leaders:
Sky Airline for Latin America
SAS for Global Airlines
Singapore Airlines for Asia Pacific
Austrian for Europe
Global Cancellations Report
Learn more about Cirium On-Time Performance and download 2025 Reports, here.
A 40% reduction in flight cancellations across Asia-Pacific helped Garuda Indonesia rise as the region’s On-Time Performance leader, reinforcing its position as one of the top-performing airlines in the market. Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines and Philippine Airlines remained among the most reliable carriers in Southeast Asia, despite month-on-month declines in on-time performance that point to increasing operational challenges, shifting airline performance trends, and evolving aviation reliability dynamics across the region.
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Download the February 2026 Southeast Asia On-Time Performance Report
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January 2026
A 19% decline in flight cancellations in the Asia-Pacific market has directly contributed to improved schedule integrity across Southeast Asian carriers. Analysis of operational data shows that decreased disruption rates allowed airlines to achieve up to a six‑point increase in On‑Time Performance. This performance shift has also resulted in a reordering of OTP rankings, with a new leader emerging due to more efficient turnaround processes, reduced ground delays, and optimized fleet utilization.
November 2025
While widespread flight cancellations plague the aviation industry, Southeast Asian carriers are not just surviving—they’re thriving. Philippine Airlines (PAL) successfully defended its crown as the regional leader for the fourth consecutive month, delivering an impressive 84.67% OTP. Making the biggest move this period, Garuda Indonesia pulled off a massive upset. The carrier leaped from sixth to second place in the rankings after a sharp, decisive boost in its On-Time Performance.
October 2025
Philippine Airlines maintained its streak as the regional OTP frontrunner for the third month running. The AirAsia Group showcased massive dominance, placing three subsidiaries (Philippines, Indonesia, and Thai) in the rankings, while Scoot demonstrated resilience, making the top ranks despite a 2-point dip in its on-time performance.
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2025
Southeast Asia On-time performance airlines reports
With an impressive on-time departure rate of 91.47% across 34,068 tracked flights, GYE demonstrated exceptional consistency while serving 19 routes. This achievement underscores the airport’s ability to deliver world-class performance in a category defined by airports handling between 5 million and 15 million seats annually.
The qualification criteria for this award emphasize comprehensive flight operations and reliability, ensuring recognition for airports that balance regional connectivity with global service standards. GYE’s success is particularly notable given the operational challenges of 2025, including scheduled runway maintenance closures in September that required temporary suspension of all flight operations. These proactive infrastructure upgrades highlight the airport’s commitment to long-term safety and efficiency, even as it maintained industry-leading punctuality throughout the year.
Small airports often face unique constraints, managing diverse route networks while maintaining reliability.
GYE’s achievement reflects strategic coordination among airlines, ground handlers, and air traffic control, enabling seamless travel experiences despite seasonal disruptions.
Its performance outpaced strong contenders such as El Salvador International Airport (SAL), which posted an on-time departure rate of 90.28% across 47,203 flights and 34 routes, and Rio de Janeiro’s Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), which achieved 89.67% punctuality with 58,303 flights and 7 routes. These results highlight the growing emphasis on reliability in Latin America, a region where operational resilience is increasingly critical.
Beyond Latin America, airports like Stavanger (SVG) and Cape Town (CPT) also demonstrated competitive performance, signaling a global trend toward process optimization and technology-driven efficiency. For travelers and airlines alike, this translates into fewer delays, improved connectivity, and enhanced confidence in regional gateways. The top five airports in this category collectively illustrate how smaller hubs are leveraging innovation and disciplined operations to deliver world-class punctuality.
Looking ahead, Guayaquil’s leadership in this category illustrates how smaller hubs can achieve excellence through strategic investment and operational rigor. As the aviation industry continues to navigate evolving challenges,
GYE stands as a model of success, proving that size does not limit the ability to deliver superior performance.
Running an airline anywhere is a tricky undertaking, but doing so in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) brings its own unique challenges. Hot and harsh conditions result in vast maintenance requirements for engines and equipment. Aircraft often spend far longer on the ground than in more temperate regions. Then, this year at least, there has been vast geopolitical disruption. Meanwhile competition is fierce. But there are advantages too. The Middle East’s position at the centre of the world makes it an ideal transfer location for the Gulf carriers, who funnel vast numbers of people around the globe, particularly between Europe and Asia. Their stellar earnings since the pandemic are a testament to the success of this strategy.
Alongside this, the region is seeing an explosion in air travel demand to, from, and within it. The domestic Saudi Arabian route from Jeddah to Riyadh, for example, is set to become the busiest air corridor in the world by the end of the decade, industry insiders believe, and perhaps well before that.
IATA, notably, says that at $29, profit per passenger will be higher in the Middle East next year than anywhere else. That compares with just $7.90 globally.
Aviation in Africa lacks the scale of its Middle Eastern rivals. The continent’s airlines lament the extra costs of doing business which includes higher prices for leases, MRO, fuel and insurance. Then there are the wild swings of local currencies, stranded earnings, and problems in retaining skilled staff – many of whom are wooed by the deep pockets of the Gulf. Yet, as the rankings show, there are successes here too, underpinned by an emerging middle class that is seeing Africans fly at scale for the first time.
Topping this year’s OTP rankings is South Africa’s Safair.
Following closely are Aeromexico, Gol, Azul, and LATAM Airlines, reinforcing the region’s reputation for reliability and efficiency.
Long a leader in performance, Safair has developed a reputation for precise scheduling and rapid 30-minute turnarounds as befit its low-cost business model, with a heavy use of real-time data. Alongside this, built-in contingency planning enables them to bounce-back rapidly when disruption does occur.
It notes that its performance has been underpinned by “strategic investments” in advanced scheduling, as well as “data-driven decision-making, and fleet management practices.”
Meanwhile the use of a single aircraft type – the Boeing 737 – has helped to keep maintenance costs down and reduce complexity, enabling flexibility between crews and bolstering utilisation rates. This all filters through to its reliability.
Safair has also embedded OTP into its corporate culture, linking employee incentives to their achievements and making it a key performance indicator, meaning that all staff are focussed on getting flights out on time.
Close behind is Royal Jordanian. The carrier is undergoing a strategic shift towards inbound tourism and becoming the main player in the Levant region. “That’s obviously a market which we want to dominate in the future,” commercial chief Karim Makhlouf said in November.
It plans a fleet expansion from around 23 aircraft currently to 41 by 2028, amid a longer-term goal of 52 by 2032. Passenger numbers are targeted to grow from 3 million to 7.1 million by 2028.
Makhlouf added that amid a growth spurt and restructuring it is “super difficult” to make money, but that it had recently reported a nine-month sustainable profit of around $43 million, “which for an airline like Royal Jordanian is quite a significant achievement.”
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Executive Director and CEO, Exactly Consulting and Services SARL
Beyond growth, Latin America is setting benchmarks in operational excellence. Aeromexico stands out globally, achieving the best On-Time Performance (OTP) among the Global Airline Category, a remarkable feat given its operations from the highly congested Mexico City International Airport. This achievement highlights resilience and world-class standards in a challenging environment.
Regionally, Copa Airlines continues to lead OTP rankings, building on its stellar 2024 performance.
Following closely are Aeromexico, Gol, Azul, and LATAM Airlines, reinforcing the region’s reputation for reliability and efficiency.
Airports mirror this success, demonstrating the strong correlation between airline and airport punctuality. Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport leads all Large Airports globally, while two other Latin American airports feature in the top 10 of this category. The Medium-sized Airport Category shines even brighter: Tocumen International Airport in Panama claims the top spot worldwide, with five regional airports among the global top 10. In the Small Airport category, Guayaquil Airport leads globally, supported by four Latin American airports in the top ten.
Congratulations to the winners.
These results are more than operational metrics, they are a testament to the region’s commitment to excellence and its role in driving social and economic development. With robust growth, outstanding efficiency, and unparalleled OTP achievements, Latin America is not just keeping pace with global aviation, it is setting new standards.
The region’s vast and diverse landscape offers immense opportunities, and its aviation sector is poised to be a cornerstone of connectivity and progress for years to come.
Our team at Cirium spent months analyzing this relationship across three distance bands: short-haul routes under 1,500 kilometers, medium-haul between 1,500-3,999 kilometers, and long-haul over 4,000 kilometers. We compared July 2019 operations with July 2024. The Cirium EmeraldSky platform let us track 47 operational variables across more than 100,000 daily flights. Everything from gate times and runway waits to specific aircraft configurations and passenger loads.
The correlation was consistent where operational changes occurred.
Routes with improved on-time performance showed measurable drops in flight times and emissions.
Routes with declining OTP showed the opposite: longer flights and higher emissions. The pattern held across different airlines and aircraft types.
Most emissions calculators rely on simple distance formulas. We’re tracking actual operational data. The factors that determine real fuel consumption. PwC independently verified the methodology to ISAE 3000 standards, which puts it among the most rigorous publicly available datasets on airline emissions.
Why Delays Create More Emissions
The mechanism is straightforward but often overlooked. Delayed aircraft burn fuel while accomplishing nothing productive. They sit on taxiways with engines running, waiting for clearance. They circle in holding patterns before landing. They take longer routes to dodge congestion.
Researchers Brueckner and Abreu quantified this over a 21-year study of 16 US airlines.
Each percentage point increase in flights delayed more than 15 minutes correlated with a 0.3% jump in fuel consumption and emissions.
In practice, an airline cutting its delay rate from 22% to 19% (just three percentage points) reduces fuel consumption by roughly 1%. The airlines in that study burned 13.7 billion gallons of jet fuel in 2015. At standard carbon pricing, a three-point improvement delivered $48 million in annual environmental benefits. It’s measurable impact from better operations.
Ground Operations Tell the Story
Much of the emissions penalty happens before takeoff. European air traffic management analysis (2015-2017) found that routing inefficiencies make flight paths 0.61-0.76% longer than optimal. That translated to 229,000 extra tonnes of fuel and 721,000 additional tonnes of CO₂. The equivalent of four full days of flying across the European Economic Area.
At London Heathrow during peak hours, about half the arriving aircraft enter holding patterns averaging six minutes each. During one January 2015 peak hour, those holding patterns alone produced 10 tonnes of CO₂ and 114 kilograms of nitrogen oxides.
The 20 most congested US airports generate 6 million metric tonnes of CO₂ annually just from aircraft taxiing. Research shows that eliminating taxi delays could cut overall flight fuel consumption by 1% on average, with some congested airports showing potential reductions up to 2%.
Solutions That Already Work
Continuous Descent Operations let aircraft descend smoothly with minimal engine thrust instead of the traditional step-down approach with level flight segments.
This saves an average of 51 kilograms of fuel per flight, with real-world operations achieving 3.6% fuel burn improvements.
Full deployment across Europe could deliver 350,000 tonnes in annual fuel savings.
Airport Collaborative Decision-Making systems create transparent communication between airlines, ground handlers, and air traffic control. When 17 European airports put these platforms in place in 2016, they saw 7% reductions in taxi time, 10.3% drops in air traffic delays, and 102,700 tonnes of CO₂ saved.
The Gap Between Airlines
The airline industry improved its carbon output per passenger by 12% between 2013 and 2019.
Roughly 2% per year. The variation between carriers tells an interesting story. Our 2024 Flight Emissions Review shows low-cost carriers like Wizz Air (53.9 grams CO₂ per available seat-kilometer) and Frontier (54.4 g CO₂/ASK) substantially outperforming legacy carriers.
How they run their operations explains much of this gap. Low-cost carriers typically maintain higher load factors, operate uniform fleets, fly point-to-point networks, and refine procedures more rigorously. These same factors support both on-time performance and efficiency.
Why the 3% Matters Right Now
Getting aviation to net-zero by 2050 depends heavily on sustainable aviation fuels (65% of the solution) and new propulsion technologies (13%). Operational improvements? Just 3% of the long-term plan.
Sustainable fuel production won’t reach meaningful scale until the 2030s. Hydrogen and electric aircraft remain years away from commercial deployment. That makes the 3% from operational improvements the only immediate option for emissions reduction.
Better operations are the immediate option for emissions reduction.
No new technology required, just better execution of existing procedures.
When an airline publishes its on-time performance statistics, it’s revealing more than customer service quality. Those numbers provide a window into how well the airline runs, and that directly affects environmental impact. The data proves the connection. Better on-time performance means lower emissions per passenger. It’s something airlines can improve right now.
Report highlights
If you haven’t read the complete 2024 EmeraldSky Flight Emissions Review, you can download it at the link below. We’re releasing the 2025 edition in early 2026. If you’d like early access when it’s available, scan the QR code below to register your interest and we’ll send it your way.
Cirium EmeraldSky Study (2024): Short-haul route analysis comparing July 2019 to July 2024 operations, tracking 47 operational variables across 100,000+ daily flights. Methodology independently verified to ISAE 3000 standard by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Brueckner, J.K., and Abreu, C. “Airline Fuel Usage and Carbon Emissions: Determining Factors.” Journal of Air Transport Management, Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 10-17. Study of 16 US airlines over 1995-2015 period.
EUROCONTROL Performance Review Reports (2015-2017): European air traffic management inefficiency analysis, horizontal flight efficiency data, and holding pattern emissions studies.
EUROCONTROL A-CDM Impact Assessment (2016): Analysis of 17 European airports implementing Airport Collaborative Decision Making systems. Study developed by Atlas Chase for EUROCONTROL.
Cirium Flight Emissions Review (2024): Global airline emissions rankings using flight-specific operational data. Published July 2025.
IATA Global Aviation Data (2013-2019): Historical carbon intensity trends for commercial aviation.
Air Transport Action Group (ATAG): Waypoint 2050 (2nd Edition, September 2021). Aviation industry net-zero pathway analysis and decarbonization scenarios.
Jay Morgan, Director, Professional Data Services, Cirium
Defining the Medium Airport Category
Medium airports, as classified in the Cirium OTP program, serve between 15 and 25 million seats per year and must meet stringent data coverage requirements. Only airports with at least 80% actual gate departure coverage and full award qualification are considered for the rankings, ensuring a level playing field and reliable benchmarking.
PTY’s Standout Performance
In 2025, PTY secured the number one spot in the medium airport category, achieving an impressive [93.34%] on-time departure rate. This figure is supported by a remarkable 99.49% tracked flight coverage, underscoring the reliability of the data and the airport’s operational discipline. PTY’s “B0%” metric—representing the share of departures with zero recorded delay—stood at 68.57%, further highlighting its commitment to punctuality.
The airport’s scale and connectivity are also notable. PTY served 95 routes across four regions, with 19 airlines operating a total of 148,065 flights during the period. Its total seat count for the year reached 24.46 million, placing it firmly within the medium airport band while maintaining broad international reach.
Context Among Peers
PTY’s closest competitors in the medium airport category included Brasília International Airport (BSB) and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), with on-time departure rates of 88.36% and 86.22%, respectively. While these airports demonstrated strong performance, PTY’s margin of excellence was clear, driven by both high punctuality and comprehensive operational coverage.
Key Takeaways
The recognition of PTY’s outstanding performance, underscored by a 93.34% on-time departure rate, demonstrates the tangible benefits of operational discipline and strategic investment in reliable infrastructure.
Such consistent punctuality is not achieved by chance, but through a concerted effort across multiple facets of airport management—ranging from proactive maintenance and real-time resource allocation to close collaboration with airline partners and ground service providers.
Leveraging advanced analytics and comprehensive data coverage, PTY has been able to identify trends, anticipate operational bottlenecks, and implement timely interventions that prevent minor disruptions from escalating into significant delays. This data-driven approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement, where every success is examined for scalability and every setback becomes a lesson for future resilience.
Looking ahead, airports striving for similar results can draw on PTY’s example, recognizing that the pathway to excellence lies in combining technological innovation with human expertise. As global air travel continues its post-pandemic recovery and new challenges such as sustainability, passenger expectations, and fluctuating demand emerge, the ability to reliably deliver high standards of punctuality and service will become even more critical. By embracing best practices in data management, operational transparency, and stakeholder engagement, other airports can position themselves to not only match but surpass established benchmarks, ultimately enhancing the travel experience for millions of passengers worldwide. In this evolving landscape, PTY’s achievement stands as a testament to what is possible when vision, discipline, and adaptability come together in pursuit of operational excellence.
This year’s rankings have been dominated by full-service carriers, many of which have correlated strong on-time performance with robust financial performances, even as passenger yields broadly have stepped back from their post-pandemic highs.
Philippine Airlines has put in a strong showing to be the top performing carrier in 2025, with an impressive 83.12% of its flights arriving on-time across the year. That is impressive given its home base of Manila Ninoy Aquino International airport is prone to congestion.
It has been a significant year for the carrier, which has seen a transition of president and chief operating officers. Richard Nuttall was appointed president of the airline in late May, aided by Carlos Luis Fernandez as vice president and chief operating officer.
Just behind PAL, Air New Zealand delivered a significant improvement despite grappling with engine issues that have at times grounded up to six aircraft across its Airbus A320neo family and Boeing 787 fleets. It appears to have proactively managed those issues by adjusting its schedule, and keeping overall capacity flat, while also bringing in wet-leased capacity towards the end of the year.
Across the Tasman Sea, Virgin Australia re-enters the top 10 this year, just edging ahead of rival Qantas. Both carriers appear to have benefitted from adding new aircraft that has limited capacity growth but built in greater network resilience. In the case of Qantas, it has been growing back its international capacity as the last of its Airbus A380s re-entered service, while it, too, tapped wet-leased aircraft from Finnair.
IndiGo had a strong showing for most of the year, delivering 80% and higher on-time performance rates between June and October before falling back in November and December. That was largely driven by a change in flight crew duty regulations in early December which led to large scale delays and cancellations over successive days, forcing it at one point to cancel all flights from Delhi to reset its operations. That effort proved successful, though, and it quickly scaled its operations back up to over one thousand flights per day with minimal cancellations.
Japanese carriers continued their strong showing, albeit with some falls in the rankings. Japan Airlines ceded top place to PAL, falling to fifth, while All Nippon Airways fell from second to third place. Nonetheless, both carriers continued to display solid operational performances, and in the case of ANA that was with many of the fleet availability issues that Air New Zealand faced.
Cathay Pacific’s improvement in on-time performance may be partially attributed to the full opening of the three-runway system at its Hong Kong International airport hub. As one of the countries that was later to lift Covid restrictions, the carrier has not put fleet and pilot shortages behind it and has re-emerged as one of the key connecting carriers in Asia.
Similarly, Singapore Airlines on had a minor slip in on-time rate year-on-year, but continued to justify its reputation for sterling service while maximising the use of its fleet.
In commercial aviation, growth and emissions usually move in the same direction. Airlines add more flights, burn more fuel, and produce more carbon. This pattern has held true for decades, which is why Avianca’s performance since 2019 is so striking.
According to EmeraldSky data, Avianca stands apart from every other large carrier. During the past five years, the airline increased its overall capacity by more than eighteen percent (18.1%) while also reducing total carbon emissions by more than five percent (5.1%). This combination simply does not happen often.
The natural question is how Avianca achieved something that most airlines still describe as a long-term aspiration rather than an immediate reality.
A Fleet That Looks Very Different Today
Every story about emissions begins with the fleet. Avianca made a series of bold and disciplined choices that reshaped the aircraft it flies. Nearly two thirds of its Airbus A319 aircraft left the operation along with its entire group of A321 aircraft. In their place the airline introduced a significantly larger number of A320neo aircraft and additional A320ceo aircraft.
The long-haul operation changed as well. Older A330 aircraft departed while the Boeing 787 fleet grew. Avianca also left behind its regional jet and turboprop operations, choosing to simplify and focus on aircraft that deliver stronger fuel performance.
One of the most important results is the increase in average aircraft size. The typical Avianca aircraft carried 144 seats in 2019. Today that figure is 181. This was achieved by reconfiguring all its fleet, both narrow and wide bodies airplanes. Although the average age of the fleet increased slightly to nine and a half years, which reflects global supply chain issues that affected all airlines, the overall efficiency of the fleet still improved meaningfully.
More Seats and More Efficiency
By 2024 Avianca had restored its flight activity to the same level it operated in 2019. The difference is that the airline generated far more capacity because it was flying larger aircraft and flying them slightly farther on average. The removal of turboprop flying also meant that flight time did not materially increase even as stage length grew.
This resulted in an 18.1% increase in available seat kilometers. At the same time the shift toward newer and more efficient aircraft produced a reduction in absolute carbon emissions of 5.1%.
When combined, these factors created a major improvement in carbon intensity. Avianca moved from 82.6 grams of carbon per available seat kilometer to 66.3 grams. This represents a reduction of nearly 20%, which very few global airlines have managed to achieve on this scale.
A Model for Responsible Growth
Avianca’s experience shows that it is possible to grow and still reduce the environmental impact of flying. It requires discipline in fleet planning, a willingness to retire older aircraft, and a long-term commitment to efficiency.
The journey for the aviation industry is not finished, but Avianca has shown what is possible when strategy and execution come together with clarity of intent. The airline is not only growing. It is growing in a more responsible way, and that achievement deserves attention.
Lydia Webb, Marketing Director – Americas & Strategic Programs, Cirium
SCL has recently undergone significant modernization, including the opening of its new 248,400 m² international Terminal 2. This expansion more than doubled the airport’s annual passenger capacity from 16 million to 38 million, establishing it as one of South America’s most advanced aviation facilities.
SCL is a vital asset for Chile’s economy, connectivity, and infrastructure. It serves as Latin America’s gateway to Oceania, with routes to Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and Easter Island. The airport also serves as a long-haul hub for global carriers like Air France and British Airways. It also houses Chile’s major airlines, maintenance operations, and the Chilean Air Force’s 2nd Air Brigade.
An Economic Pillar for the Chilean Economy
Tourism is a major economic pillar for Chile, and SCL directly influences visitor inflows. Early 2025 saw the airport handle over five million passengers in just two months, a 4.4% increase compared to 2024. International arrivals surged—particularly from Brazil, Argentina, and Peru—reflecting growing demand for regional tourism and business travel. By functioning as the primary entry point for international travelers, SCL directly feeds revenue into Chile’s national and local economies.
The airport is at the center of one of the largest infrastructure expansions in Chile’s history—a $4 billion program aimed at tripling capacity by 2050. This longterm project will help reshape Chile’s role in global aviation and commerce by increasing operational capacity to 84 million passengers and 125 operations per hour, three times its current levels.
Commitment to OnTime Performance
Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport made significant strides in operational performance during 2024–2025, despite capacity pressures and ongoing modernization. As Chile’s busiest airport, SCL improved its on-time performance (OTP) to 87.04% in 2025, a 4.20% improvement from 2024, even while managing rapid growth in international travel.
Looking Ahead
SCL’s operational performance is projected to continue its upward trend. This will be driven by several strategic initiatives including the construction of a third runway and terminal and the introduction of a light rail for improved access.
SCL’s strategic investments underscore its commitment to operational excellence. This proactive approach not only addresses current demands but also solidifies its position as a forward-thinking, high-performing facility prepared to meet future challenges.
That infrastructure milestone, combined with sustained performance across the full year, has earned Istanbul Airport Cirium’s 2025 Platinum Award for the world’s best-performing airport.
Istanbul handles over 84 million passengers annually across 330 destinations through 116 airlines. Positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, the airport manages dense connectivity patterns, complex wave structures, and high daily aircraft movements. At this intensity, minor disruptions propagate quickly across regions and time zones without active management.
In June 2025, ACI Europe’s Airport Industry Connectivity Report named Istanbul Airport the world’s most connected hub, overtaking Frankfurt after a 59% increase in global hub connectivity since 2019. The airport also leads Europe in direct connectivity.
The Platinum Award measures more than on-time departure percentages. Cirium’s analysis evaluates delay severity, the airport’s ability to limit prolonged disruption, and how effectively operations preserve schedule integrity across the wider network. Performance is assessed across the full calendar year, not isolated peak periods.
Istanbul distinguished itself through consistency across changing seasonal demand and varying congestion levels. The additional airside capacity reduced peak-period congestion and strengthened the airport’s ability to absorb disruption without allowing delays to escalate.
Large, complex airports inevitably face weather events, airspace constraints, and downstream delays. What separates strong operations from exceptional ones is the response when pressure builds. Istanbul’s 2025 performance reflected management that limited delay severity and reduced passenger disruption, even during peak demand.
The runway upgrade required coordination across multiple stakeholders. Airlines adjusted gate assignments and taxi procedures. Ground handlers modified turnaround sequencing. Air traffic control refined departure spacing. The capacity expansion delivered value because the airport’s operations adapted to use it effectively.
This achievement comes as airport performance faces increasing scrutiny. Passenger expectations continue rising, airline networks operate closer to capacity, and tolerance for disruption is diminishing. Airports now play a central role in safeguarding aviation system reliability, with their performance directly influencing airline outcomes and customer trust.
Cirium’s Platinum Airport Award provides an independent, data-driven benchmark for excellence. Using globally consistent methodologies and verified operational data, the award recognizes airports that deliver reliable performance at scale across an entire year.
By earning the 2025 Platinum Airport Award, Istanbul Airport demonstrates that scale and complexity can coexist with consistency and control. The combination of infrastructure investment and operational discipline sets a clear benchmark for major hub airports navigating sustained pressure on global aviation infrastructure. We congratulate Istanbul Airport’s management and operational teams for earning this prestigious distinction.
Scott McCartney, Aviation Consultant and Adjunct Professor Duke University
For airlines, the word of the year was resiliency. Carriers faced delays from telecommunications equipment failures in control towers at the busiest airports in the country, including Newark, Denver, Houston, Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth. In some cases, controllers couldn’t talk to pilots for terrifying minutes, forcing diversions and ground stops.
In all, the FAA said flight-delay minutes due to equipment issues were about 300% higher in 2025 than the average of 2010-2024. On top of that, a six-week U.S. government shutdown led to shortages of air-traffic controllers and widespread delays and schedule reductions.
Delta Air Lines remained #1 in North America in 2025, but its on-time arrival rate was down more than two percentage points from the previous year. United Airlines, hit hard by multiple telecommunication outages affecting its Newark International Airport hub, dropped from second-place in North America in 2024 to fourth place in 2025.
There were some improvements. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which was largely isolated from much of the FAA equipment failures, moved up to #2 from third-place the previous year. Even more remarkable was a major improvement by Spirit Airlines, achieved third-place despite a return to bankruptcy-court protection during the year. Spirit posted an on-time rate of 78.83%, up from about 76.05%, as employees clearly stayed focused on running the airline reliably even as its financial future was uncertain.
Canadian airlines also showed significant reliability improvement, with both WestJet and Air Canada posting roughly two-percentage-point increases in on-time performance.
American Airlines has been trying hard for years to improve its reliability and catch up to Delta and United. But American took a step backwards in 2025 with all the ATC outages, including a cut telecommunications cable near the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, its largest hub, that disrupted flights on a busy weekend. The FAA said a backup system failed along with the primary system. American was so frustrated that it issued a statement blasting the telecommunications provider for not responding to the problem with appropriate urgency.
For the year, American dropped to #6 from #4 as it got fewer than 77% of its flights to the gate on-time, down from just under 78% in 2024.
This recognition places the airline among a very small group of carriers that have demonstrated the ability to sustain world-leading operational performance over multiple years. Aeromexico’s achievement reflects an organization that has turned operational reliability into a meaningful and enduring strength.
While many airlines see natural swings in their performance from one year to the next, Aeromexico continues to show that consistency at the highest level requires more than intention. It demands investment in the right infrastructure, disciplined execution across thousands of daily operational moments, and leadership that makes operational performance a strategic priority even during periods of market pressure.
The airline entered 2025 building on its position as the world’s most on time global airline in 2024, when it delivered an 86.70% on time performance across nearly 197,000 flights. In 2025, Aeromexico has elevated its performance to 90.02 percent, with each month holding close to or above the 90% level and no extended periods of decline. February reached nearly 93% and the consistently strong results through the autumn months reinforce not a single award year but a pattern of sustained and repeatable operational excellence.
Strategic Resilience in a Challenging Year
Operational excellence was only one part of Aeromexico’s 2025 performance. The airline reported its second-best third quarter in history, generating $1.4 billion in revenue with a 31 percent adjusted EBITDA margin. These financial results were delivered despite significant external pressures, reinforcing the carrier’s premium positioning and disciplined network strategy.
A critical milestone came in November, when a federal appeals court granted a stay on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s order to unwind the Aeromexico–Delta Joint Venture. The decision preserved seamless connectivity for millions of passengers and protected strategic revenue flows that support the airline’s long-term network plans.
Building Tomorrow’s Network
Aeromexico also signaled confidence in future demand with its recent expansion announcements. The new Mexico City–Barcelona service, operating six times weekly, and the first-ever Monterrey–Paris route represent thoughtfully chosen additions to the transatlantic network. These routes are supported by codeshare partnerships, including the strengthened SkyTeam connection with SAS, which broadens one-stop access between Mexico and Scandinavia.
The significance of these decisions lies in their timing. Expanding long-haul international operations while also sustaining industry-leading on-time performance is uncommon. Executing both simultaneously suggests a mature operational foundation and measured resource planning.
Leadership That Delivers
Aeromexico also signaled confidence in future demand with its recent expansion announcements. The new Mexico City–Barcelona service, operating six times weekly, and the first-ever Monterrey–Paris route represent thoughtfully chosen additions to the transatlantic network. These routes are supported by codeshare partnerships, including the strengthened SkyTeam connection with SAS, which broadens one-stop access between Mexico and Scandinavia.
Under the strategic direction of CEO Andrés Conesa and the operational leadership of COO Santiago Diago, Aeromexico has built a culture where reliability is embedded across the organization. Front-line teams, operational planners, and leaders have worked together to create a system built on coordination, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Sustaining an on-time performance level above 85% across domestic, regional, and long-haul international operations is challenging. Achieving it across an entire year reflects an organization with strong processes, clear priorities, and a disciplined approach to service delivery.
Cirium congratulates the entire Aeromexico team on earning back-to-back Global On-Time Performance titles. The achievement highlights a commitment to operational excellence that benefits passengers, strengthens competitiveness, and sets a standard for the global airline industry.
Lydia Webb, Marketing Director – Americas & Strategic Programs, Cirium
In 2024, Virgin Atlantic reported an OTP of 74.02% and did not qualify for the top 20 ranking in the Europe region based on total flight volume. However, this year, the airline not only met the qualifications but also secured the #4 position in the region with an impressive 83.45% OTP across 26,359 flights; a 9.43 percentage points gain over last year. This accomplishment extends beyond the European context, positioning Virgin Atlantic among the leading airlines globally. It further highlights the organization’s commitment to overcoming challenges and continuously improving its operational standards.
Virgin Atlantic consistently mainted high on-time performance scores throughout 2025, registering OTPs above 80% – except January and December. The airline is committed to being a challenger and a leader in its field and have made significant investments in fleet modernization, premium experience for guests, its people, and the communities it serves.
A Year for Change
In 2025, Virgin Atlantic focused on improving its on-time performance and underwent major developments across the business. The airline formed new interline and codeshare agreement with Caribbean Airlines, expanded its network and also joined a strategic partnership with IndiGo, Delta Air Lines, and Air France-KLM to link India’s expanding economy with North America and Europe.
The airline also announced a partnership with Joby Aviation, to provide zero-emission, short-range trips between Virgin Atlantic’s hubs at Heathrow and Manchester Airport and other regional destinations.
To complete its fleet modernization initiative, Virgin Atlantic Airways secured $745 million in financing from Apollo-managed funds, leveraging its London Heathrow slots. The funds will strengthen the airline’s finances and support upgrades, including Boeing 787-9 refurbishments, new Airbus A330neo aircraft with expanded premium cabins and Retreat Suites from 2026, and fleet-wide Starlink-powered Wi-Fi. Virgin Atlantic will be the first UK airline to introduce free, streaming-quality, unlimited Wi-Fi throughout its fleet, using Starlink technology, with rollout completing in 2027.
Leading Into The Future
Virgin Atlantic’s Board has announced that Shai Weiss will step down as CEO at the end of 2025, and Corneel Koster will take over the position. Koster, who was formerly Chief Customer and Operating Officer, played a key role in overseeing operations, enhancing customer experience, guiding the airline through the pandemic, introducing the A330neo aircraft, and advancing digital transformation initiatives. Under Koster’s leadership, the airline aims to keep its commitments and achieve new standards in operational performance.
A Job Well Done
In today’s highly competitive airline industry, maintaining an on-time performance above 80% for domestic, regional, and long-haul flights is no easy task—especially if the starting point falls short of that benchmark. Virgin Atlantic has demonstrated through its accomplishments why it stands out as both a challenger and an industry leader. The airline’s dedication to improvement has not gone unnoticed. Cirium extends its congratulations to the entire Virgin Atlantic team for earning the title of Most-Improved Airline of the year—a recognition that is truly well earned. We look forward to seeing even greater achievements in the future.
