The most punctual airlines in the Middle East have been revealed for the month of May by global aviation analytics experts Cirium.

The independent aviation analyst ranks airlines and airports using information from more than 2,000 sources and is respected and influential in the industry.

According to Cirium, Oman Air retains its position as the Middle East’s most punctual airline with more than 94 per cent of flights on time in May.

Middle East’s most punctual airlines

An on-time flight is defined as a flight that arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival.

The Middle East and Africa ranking includes smaller airlines, with fewer than 5,000 flights per month.

Cirium also ranks global airlines, from the top 10 per cent of all passenger airlines serving at least three regions and by capacity and volume criteria (Available Seat Kilometres, flights and seats).

Among global airlines, Saudi Arabia’s Saudia is the clear winner.

Saudia ranked among the top five for arrival On-Time Performance and first globally with the highest departure On-Time Performance.

The report highlights that Saudia achieved a 90.36 per cent on-time departure rate and an 86.09 per cent on-time arrival rate in May 2024, operating 15,416 flights.

This milestone reflects the successful execution of the first phase of Saudia’s operational plan during the arrival period for the 1445AH Hajj season.

Engr. Ibrahim Al Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, said: “Operational efficiency is central to Saudia’s new era strategy. By utilising the latest smart digital systems in our premium Saudia Operations Building, we manage flight operations with cutting-edge technology.

“This dedication to efficiency, along with the relentless efforts of our teams who meticulously handle flight schedules year-round and during peak seasons, has resulted in this outstanding On-Time Performance.”

10 most punctual carriers in Middle East and Africa

  • Safair: 96.81 per cent of 4,152 flights      
  • Oman Air: 94.35 per cent of 3.007 flights        
  • Airlink: 92.9 per cent  of 7,448 flights     
  • Royal Jordanian: 90.82 per cent   of 2,755 flights     
  • Kuwait Airways: 90.6 per cent of 2,753 flights    
  • Gulf Air: 87.5 per cent of 4,341 flights    
  • Saudia: 86.09 per cent of 15,416 flights    
  • Qatar Airways: 82.91 per cent of 16,5532   
  • Middle East Airlines: 79.66 per cent of 1,738 flights  
  • Etihad Airways: 79.33 per cent of 7,023 flights

The Middle East and Africa region experienced a 38 per cent decline in the number of flights cancelled in May with 2,272 cancelled compared to 3,675 in April.

Globally, airlines in the Middle East and Africa region shown the greatest improvement in performance in May.

Safair (FA) is back as the regional leader in the region this month with an impressive OTP of 96.81 per cent, a 5-point improvement from last month’s OTP of 91.82 per cent.

Oman Air (WY) closely followed Safair in second place with an OTP of 94.35 per cent.

Airlink (4Z), formerly South African Airlink, secured the third-place position with an outstanding OTP of 92.90 per cent. This was more than 6-points in improvement from April’s OTP of 86.14 per cent, making it the region’s most improved airline in May.

Royal Jordanian (RJ) took the fourth place with an OTP of 90.82 per cent, a near 4-point increase compared to April’s OTP of 87.16 per cent.