Low-cost carriers (LCCs) demonstrated strong on-time performance (OTP) in October 2024, with Saudi Arabian airline flyadeal leading the pack globally.
The latest figures from aviation analysts Cirium show that flyadeal achieved an OTP of 90.76% despite a 41% increase in flight cancellations in the Middle East & Africa region.
Next in the LCC rankings was Peach Aviation, a Japanese airline that achieved an OTP of 88.14%. This strong performance came despite ongoing jet fuel shortages in Japan, which significantly impacted flight cancellations in the Asia-Pacific region.
JetBlue, a US-based LCC, also secured a spot in the global top three with an OTP of 86.00%.
Regional airlines presented a more varied picture in terms of OTP.
- In Asia-Pacific, Hainan Airlines emerged as the leader with an OTP of 87.14%, a significant improvement from the previous month. This performance is particularly notable considering the challenging operating environment caused by the jet fuel shortage in Japan.
- North America saw Delta Air Lines maintain its regional dominance with an OTP of 90.53%, followed by United Airlines at 88.13%. Both airlines achieved these strong results despite a 35% increase in flight cancellations due to Hurricane Milton.
- SAS topped the European rankings with an OTP of 86.64%, benefiting from an 8% decrease in flight cancellations across the region.
- Latin America’s top performer was Aeromexico, which achieved an OTP of 91.88% despite a 14% increase in flight cancellations in the region.
- Safair led the Middle East & Africa region with an OTP of 92.47%, a testament to the airline’s efficiency even as cancellations in the region surged.
The Cirium report reveals that despite ongoing challenges like extreme weather events and fuel shortages, many airlines, both low-cost and regional, are making strides in improving their on-time performance. This trend suggests a continued recovery for the aviation industry.
Photo: flyadeal
An Airbus A320neo in flyadeal livery.
