Cirium’s yearly assessment of the world’s top global airlines for on-time performance has revealed that South Africa’s Safair and Kenya Airways were among the most punctual airlines in the Middle East and Africa region in 2023.
AMBusiness reports that Safair ranked second on the list with an excellent on-time arrival percentage of 92.36%, while Kenya Airways ranked tenth with a decent 71.86% on-time arrival rate.
Cirium defines “on-time” as arriving within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled arrival time of the airline. Also, to be called a “global” airline, operators must additionally meet particular capacity and network standards.
Oman Air took the top spot in the MEA rankings, with a superb on-time arrival percentage of 92.53%. Oman and Safair were the only airlines in the report to have an on-time arrival rate of more than 90%.
Cirium’s other MEA 2023 winners are Royal Jordanian, which achieved an on-time arrival rate of 87.51%, Qatar Airways, which achieved 85.11%, Etihad Airways, which achieved 82.90%, Saudia, which achieved 89.21%, Middle East Airlines, which achieved 79.15%, Emirates, which achieved 78.48%, and Kuwait Airways, which achieved 73.18%.
Cirium chose its winner based not just on punctuality, but also on the “complexity of its operations and capacity to provide more benefit to passengers and airports,” according to Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen.
Avianca Airlines of Colombia was named the world’s most punctual airline, with an on-time arrival percentage of 85.73%. The information included in the evaluation came from approximately 600 distinct sources.
According to a second Skytrax study, both South African airline Safair and Kenya Airways were among the top ten best-performing airlines in Africa in 2023.
FlySafair took to the skies in October 2014, but its parent firm, Safair, has a spectacular 50-year history. The headquarters of this low-cost South African airline are in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company has a fleet of 22 aircraft, five of which are B734 classics and the rest are B738 NGs.
Ranking for punctuality: 10
Arrival on time: 71.86%
Tracked Flight: 86.13%
Completion factor: 98.09%
Total number of flights: 41, 905
Kenya Airways, officially known as IATA code KQ, has proudly represented Kenya since its inception in 1977. The airline has a fleet of more than 40 aircraft, including Boeing and Embraer jets, to ensure that its passengers have a safe and enjoyable voyage.
The top five punctual airlines in the Middle East and Africa 2023 are as follows:
1. Oman Air: 92.53% on-time arrival; 45,908 total flights
2. Safair: 92.36% on-time arrival; 55,444 total flights
3. Royal Air Jordanian: 87.51% on-time arrival; 32,706 total flights
4. Qatar Airways: 85.11% on-time arrival; 183,090 total flights
5. Etihad Airways: 82.90% on-time arrival; 65,376 total flights
