UK airlines are lagging behind on time-keeping when compared with others in Europe, figures for the past year show.
Aviation analytics company Cirium has announced the top 10 airlines and airports for avoiding delays in 2022, globally and in Europe, and no British operator qualified for either leaderboard.
The rankings are part of the firm’s upcoming On-Time Performance Report, the global standard for operational performance.
Cirium has not yet released the full rankings below the top 10 but figures show that at least 25% of flights from UK airlines were delayed, since the 10th ranked airline in Europe had a 75% punctuality rating.
The global leader for timeliness is Azul Brazilian Airlines, with 88.93% of arrivals being on time, followed by two Japanese operators, All Nippon Airways with 88.61% and Japan Airlines at 88%.
Haneda Airport, also in Japan, was ranked the most reliable airport for punctuality, with 90.33% of departures taking off on time.
Kempegowda International Airport in India came second with 84.08% of departures being on time.
Six out of the world’s top ten most punctual airports were in the US, including Salt Lake City International Airport which was ranked third place with 83.87% of take-offs being on time.
On the European leaderboard, Spanish airlines claimed the top four spots, with Iberia ranked first place for 85.87% of its flights arriving on time.
Air Europa came second, with 84.1% of planes touching down on time, followed by Iberia Express at 83.8%, and Vueling with 82.04%.
Austrian Airlines were ranked the fifth most reliable in Europe with 82% punctuality, followed by Norwegian Air Shuttle at 81.29%.
An airline’s flight is classed as on-time if it arrives no later than 15 minutes after it is expected, and for an airport if it departs within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
