Spanish airline Iberia was the most punctual airline in Europe last year. This was followed by Air Europa, Iberia Express and Vueling, taking the first four spots in the ranking, according to consultancy Cirium.
Iberia tops the Cirium 2022 On-Time Performance Review rankings, the global gold standard for airline and airport performance. The past year saw a ‘challenging operational’ environment around the world. This was particularly in Europe, with many airlines and airports experiencing delays, disruptions and resource challenges.
Recognition for all employees
Iberia, with Javier Sánchez Prieto at the top, achieved a punctuality rate of 85.87%. Iberia operated a total of 91,154 flights throughout the year. Moreover, it was the most punctual airline in the sector between May and October. For Sánchez Prieto, punctuality is one of the values most rated by customers. He called the award “a great source of pride” and recognition for the hard work of each of the employees who make sure planes take off and land on time.
Air Europa, in second place, managed to get 84.10% of its flights to their destinations on time, out of a total of 48,163 operations. As for low-cost carriers, Iberia Express and Vueling achieved 83.80% and 82.04% punctuality, respectively. Vueling operated a total of 197,546 flights in 2022, while Iberia’s low-cost carrier operated 35,655 flights.
After the four Spanish airlines, the list continues with Austrian (82% flights on time), Norwegian Air Shuttle (81.29%), ITA Airways (80.29%), Norwegian Air International (79.03%) and Finnair (75.16%) and LOT Polish Airlines (75.08%).
