Cirium, a leading aviation analytics firm, has released its 2025 On-Time Performance Review, ranking the world’s most efficient airlines and airports. The rankings are based on data from over 600 sources, including airlines, airports, and aviation authorities, analyzing more than 35 million flights annually.
For the top airlines, the global category went to Aeromexico which topped the list with a 90.02 percent on-time performance rate, followed by Saudia (86.53%) and SAS (86.09%).
For the Most Improved category it was Virgin Atlantic which jumped from 74.02 percent in 2024 to 83.45 percent in 2025. The Platinum Award went to Qatar Airways which achieved 84.42 percent on-time performance across 198,303 flights.
With respect to airports, the large airports category award went to Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (Chile) achieving 87.04 percent on-time departures. The medium category airport award went to Tocumen International Airport (Panama) with 93.34 percent on-time departures. While the small airports category went to Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (Ecuador) with 91.47 percent on-time departures. The Platinum Award went to Istanbul Airport for operational complexity and consistency.
The complete top 10 global most on-time airlines was as follows: Aeromexico: 90.02 percent of 188,859 flights on-time, Saudia: 86.53 percent of 202,864 flights on-time, SAS: 86.09 percent of 249,674 flights on-time, Azul: 85.18 percent of 304,625 flights on-time, Qatar Airways: 84.42 percent of 198,303 flights on-time, Iberia: 83.52 percent of 188,447 flights on-time, LATAM Airlines: 82.40 percent of 580,707 flights on-time, Avianca: 81.73 percent of 266,921 flights on-time, Turkish Airlines: 81.41 percent of 421,087 flights on-time, and, Delta Air Lines: 80.90 percent of 1,800,086 flights on-time.
Africa’s aviation industry is poised for growth, but significant challenges hinder its progress. The continent’s airlines face substantial infrastructure, operational, and regulatory hurdles, resulting in poor on-time performance (OTP).
Inadequate airport infrastructure, outdated navigation systems, and limited air traffic control capacity plague many African airports. For instance, Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport, one of Africa’s busiest, has set out to combat congestion and improve on outdated facilities.
Harsh weather conditions, lack of weather forecasting, and climate-related disruptions frequently ground flights, causing delays and cancellations. While Africa-specific loss figures have been difficult to access in my online search, multiple sources confirm that extreme weather hazards directly affect aviation operations — including those in Africa. African airlines regularly face such weather related challenges as dust and sandstorms, severe thunderstorms, low visibility due to fog, and volcanic ash events in East Africa, all of which correspond with conditions documented as major global disruptors.
These hazards are listed among operationally disruptive conditions such as crosswinds, thunderstorms, sandstorms, icing, and volcanic ash — each affecting safety, scheduling, and flight phases.
Advanced weather monitoring systems can reduce delays and save airlines millions.
Though global, these operational principles apply directly to African carriers because African flight regions include storm-prone equatorial zones and dust-intensive Sahel corridors.
Poor ground handling, inefficient fueling, and slow turnaround times contribute to Africa’s dismal OTP. African airlines operate fleets that are on average five years older than the global norm. Older fleets lead to longer maintenance downtimes, higher fuel burn, and less reliability and more schedule padding. These factors directly influence operational speed on the ground and in rotations, making shorter global-average turnaround times unlikely.
Continental performance metrics reflect operational inefficiencies (delays, limited ground infrastructure, smaller fleets, less flexibility), all of which influence cycle times, including turnaround. IATA highlights industry-wide ground handling issues that disproportionately affect emerging markets. These are: severe labour shortages and long employment security clearance times (up to six months in some markets), skills gaps in ground operations and slow adoption of automated and digital ground-handling technologies.
African airports, many of which — outside major hubs — lack modernized ground systems, are particularly exposed to these constraints. This slows aircraft servicing, refueling, baggage handling, and cleaning processes. There is also the challenge of inconsistent regulations, bureaucratic hurdles, and lack of enforcement, which hinder growth.
Addressing these challenges requires a multi-stakeholder approach: for instance, governments and private investors must prioritize infrastructure development and modernization. Airlines should invest in fleet renewal, maintenance, and crew training. Regulatory bodies must harmonize regulations and enforce standards.
By tackling these challenges, Africa’s aviation industry can unlock its full potential, driving economic growth, tourism, and regional integration.
Ekelem Airhihen, an accredited mediator, has an MBA from the Lagos Business School. He is a member, ACI Airport Non-aeronautical Revenue Activities Committee; his interests are in market research, customer experience and performance measurement, negotiation, strategy and data and business analytics. He can be reached on ekyair@yahoo.com and +2348023125396 (WhatsApp only).
