Taylor Rains

<ul><li>Aviation data provider Cirium unveiled the world's top global airlines for on-time performance.</li><li>Colombia's Avianca Airlines took the No. 1 spot for 2023 after recently climbing out of bankruptcy.</li><li>Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline in North America and fourth among global carriers.</li></ul>

For 2023, Colombia's Avianca Airlines was named the world's most punctual global airline, with an 85.73% on-time arrival rate. The win comes after the airline <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/avianca-airline-files-for-bankruptcy-coronavirus-2020-5">filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020</a>, forcing it to completely redesign its brand and business model.

"The aim of the program is to provide the airline industry and all of its stakeholders with a neutral, third-party perspective on operational performance for individual airlines," Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen told media during a press conference, noting the data is collected from over 600 sources.

Cirium defines "on-time" as arriving within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of the airline's scheduled arrival time. The carriers also have to meet specific capacity and network requirements to be considered a "global" airline.

For example, Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines had higher on-time performance than Avianca at 89.46%, making it the most punctual airline in Latin America. However, it doesn't meet the regional requirement of flying to at least three regions daily to qualify as a global airline.

"We firmly believe that a straight ranking without these considerations would not be useful, and that's due to the very different sizes and operating models of the world's airlines," Bowen told media.

In addition to naming the world's most punctual global airline, Cirium also hands out the "platinum award" to what Bowen described as the best all-around global airline for "operational excellence."

This year's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-and-worst-airlines-for-delays-cancellations-2022-delta-2023-3">winner is Delta Air Lines</a> for the third consecutive time. The company was also named the fourth most on-time airline among global carriers and the most on-time airline in North America.

According to Bowen, Cirium not only based its winner on punctuality but also the "complexity of its operations and capacity to provide more benefit to passengers and airports."

Cirium's other 2023 winners were Spanish low-cost carrier Iberia Express in Europe, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flying-ana-the-room-business-class-new-york-japan-review-2023-4#-and-a-small-shelf-under-the-screen-24">Japan's All Nippon Airways</a> in the Asia Pacific, and Oman Air in the Middle East and Africa. South African airline Safair was the most on-time budget carrier.

Oman and Safair were the only airlines in the report to secure an on-time arrival rate of more than 90%. According to travel data provider <a href="https://www.oag.com/on-time-performance-airlines-airports">OAG,</a> this is achieved by the "very best airlines," though they "remain the exception rather than the rule."

Cirium's senior director of advanced initiatives, David White, told media that the higher rate is made easier to achieve mostly because both airlines are "operating well within their capacity," explaining demand does not outpace available seats in either region.

Here is a closer look at the top five most on-time global airlines of 2023, according to Cirium data.

Spanish flag carrier Iberia was the most on-time airline in Europe in 2022 but didn't meet global airline criteria that year.Airbus

On-time arrival rate in 2023: 84.38%

On-time arrival rate in <a href="https://www.cirium.com/thoughtcloud/most-on-time-airlines-and-airports-of-2022-cirium/">2022</a>: 85.87%

Ranking in 2022: Did not qualify as a global airline

A Delta Air Lines plane.AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images

Delta plans to use Joby's eVTOL aircraft as a hopper service between city centers and major airports like those in Los Angeles and New York City, offering a way for customers to avoid congested roadways by flying over the traffic instead.Its low noise may be a sigh of relief for city residents who have long-complained of loud helicopters flying overhead, especially in Manhattan.

On-time arrival rate in 2023: 84.72%

On-time arrival rate in 2022: 83.63%

Qatar has the world's best business class, according to aviation ranking website Skytrax.PASCAL PAVANI/AFP via Getty Images

On-time arrival rate in 2023: 85.11%

On-time arrival rate in 2022: 78.32%

Azul was founded by David Neeleman, the same airline tycoon who founded JetBlue Airways.SamuelVSilva / Shutterstock.com

On-time arrival rate in 2023: 85.51%

On-time arrival rate in 2022: 88.93%

Avianca managed to pull itself out of bankruptcy by late 2021 and complete a full transformation.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

On-time arrival rate in 2023: 85.73%

On-time arrival rate in 2022: 83.48%

Avianca was the most on-time global airline of 2023 after pulling itself out of bankruptcy.Daniel Munoz/AFP via Getty Images

Aviation data provider Cirium revealed its annual list of the world's most on-time airlines, breaking down the winners by size and region.

The 5 best airlines in the world for on-time performance

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Taylor Rains

Articles written by the author

The 5 best airlines in the world for on-time performance