South African airline, FlySAfair, gains number one spot in the world
FlySafair is the most on-time low-cost carrier in the world.
This is according to aviation analytics company Cirium’s latest On-Time Performance Review, which studies over 30 million flights a year. As per the review, flights that arrive within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of their scheduled arrival are considered on time.
“On-time performance is core to the running of a successful airline, and the good ones take it very seriously indeed – not only does OTP impact customer perception, but also cost management, environmental impact, network design and even soft issues like crew morale, which will again influence customer experience,” Cirium’s William Boulter said.
FlySafair was crowned the most on-time low-cost carrier globally, with 92.36% of their 55,444 flight operations arriving on time.
This beat second-placed Brazilian airline Azul, where 85.51% of flights arrived on time, and Hong Kong Express, where 85.23% of its 23,761 flights arrived on time.
“When low-cost carriers reach their peak, they not only offer customers affordable fares but also achieve
high operating margins. In fact, they often rank among the top performers in the airline industry,” Cirium’s CEO Jeremy Bowen said.
“On-time performance directly correlates with customer satisfaction and efficient aircraft utilization, which are the core strengths of low-cost airlines.”
“Indeed, the on-time performance of the top three Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) not only matches but often exceeds that of many traditional legacy airlines.”
FlySafair was also named the second most on-time carrier across the Middle East and Africa.
It was only beaten by 0.17% by Oman Air, with 92.53% of its 45,908 flights arriving on time.
Airport recognition
FlySafair was not the only South African entity that got recognition from Cirium, with Cape Town International Airport named the fifth most on-time small airport in the world.
Ecuador’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport was named the most on-time small airport in the world, as per the study.
Cape Town International Airport was recently named the third-best airport in the world by AirHelp, which looks at customer service claims for flight disruptions that include cancellations, delays and lost luggage.
Oman beats out South Africa again, with Muscat International Airport named the best airport in the world by AirHelp, followed by Brazil’s Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport.
