Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
Flight delays and cancellations are the banes of every travelers' existence with a countless number of factors affecting on-time performance. Everything from a mechanical issue to the weather can determine whether a flight departs on or close to its schedule.
The metric is a valuable determining factor of an airline's dependability as a flight delay could possibly jeopardize an entire trip. Some regulatory bodies, including the European Union, even require airlines to compensate passengers in the event of an extended controllable delay.
Each year, OAG ranks the top 250 airlines and reveals which ones were the most punctual. The organization compiled the date from over 50 million flights operating around the world for the entirety of 2019.
Advertisement
Here are the top airlines that did it right in 2019 and got passengers to their destinations on-time the most.
The Thailand-based subsidiary of AirAsia, one of the largest low-cost airline groups in Southeast Asia, ranked 10th in the on-time list with 84.49% of flights operating on or close to schedule.
Singapore's flag carrier and one of the world's most luxurious airlines, Singapore Airlines came in at number nine with its flights operating on-time 85.35% of the time.
The airline also holds the title for operating the longest flight in the world between Newark, New Jersey, and Singapore and has since 2018, save for two Qantas research flights that became the longest in the world for a day when they flew nonstop from New York to Sydney.
8. Jetstar Asia Airways
One of only four airlines based in the Singaporean city-state, low-cost airline Jetstar Asia Airways ranked 8th with a punctuality rate of 85.48%.
The airline can trace its roots back to Australia's Qantas Airways, which owns 49% of the airline through its subsidiary Jetstar Airways, according to the Jetstar Group, and operates short and medium-haul routes from Singapore using a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.
7. All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways is the only full-service Japanese carrier on the top 10 list with an on-time percentage of 85.92% putting it at the number seven spot.
Despite operating in a country known for punctuality, ANA was one of only two carriers in the top 10 with the carrier's main rival, Japanese flag carrier Japan Airlines, falling short of the top spots.
6. Aeroflot - Russian Airlines
Russia's largest carrier came in at number six on the list with Aeroflot - Russian Airlines achieving an on-time percentage of 86.3%, the only European carrier in the top 10 list.
Aeroflot is one of the few remaining airlines in Europe to be owned, in part, by the state, with the Russian government claiming a 51% majority share in the flag carrier, according to the Centre for Aviation.
5. LATAM Airlines
Despite being Latin America's largest airline, LATAM Airlines managed to earn the spot of the fifth most on-time carrier in the world with an on-time percentage of 86.41%.
Delta Air Lines recently took an interest in the airline and invested in a 20% stake for $1.9 billion despite rival American Airlines already maintaining close ties to the South American carrier.
4. Hawaiian Airlines
America's most isolated airline, Hawaiian Airlines, ranked fourth on the list as the only U.S.-flagged airline or legacy carrier to make the top 10 with 87.4% of flights operating on-time.
The airline largely connects the Hawaiian Islands with each other as well as the rest of the world and recently opened the longest domestic flight in the US between Boston and Honolulu with its Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
3. Skymark Airlines
Skymark Airlines, one of Japan's leading low-cost carriers, ranked third on the list with an on-time percentage of 90.12%. The all-economy airline, of which All Nippon Airways is a minority investor, is comprised of 29 aircraft, according to planespotters.net, serving 12 domestic destinations with one international route to Saipan, Guam, according to the airline.
2. Copa Airlines
Based at the crossroads of the Americas, Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines ranked number two with an on-time percentage of 92.01% as it connected the two continents via Panama City.
The Star Alliance-member airline is known for operating long-haul flights with single-aisle Boeing 737 aircraft to destinations as far as Buenos Aires and San Francisco from Panama's capital city.
1. Garuda Indonesia
Indonesia's flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, ranked at top of the list with a punctuality rate of 95.01% in 2019.
Garuda Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian airline to achieve a percentage of over 90 while also operating a fleet of almost 150 aircraft, according to planespotters.net, to nearly 100 destinations from its bases across the archipelagic country, according to the SkyTeam.
