Punctual Icelandair: A guiding northern light for Europe's airlines

Volcanic eruptions sometimes cause delays and disruptions to air travel in and out of Iceland and further afield.

But flag carrier Icelandair has seemingly harnessed the occasionally formidable logistical challenges it faces to become Europe’s most punctual airline, with 84% of its almost 4,000 flights in June deemed as having arrived "on time" by aviation industry analysis provider Cirium, putting it ahead of Iberia Express’s 82% and third-ranked Iberia’s 78%.

Icelandair announced on July 8 that it carried 514,000 passengers in June, taking it to over 2 million for the first half of 2024, a 7% increase on the January-June 2023 period. Around half of the airline's passengers stopped briefly in Iceland while crossing the Atlantic Ocean from continental Europe to the US or Canada.

SAS and Finnair rounded out the European top five, with both Scandinavian carriers having more than 75% of their flights for the month registered as on time by Cirium, a measurement based on take-offs and landings happening within 15 minutes of schedule.

Norwegian, which was the most punctual European airline in May, dropped out of the top 10.

Saudia topped Cirium’s global ranking, with 88% of flights listed as on time, slightly more than the 86% registered by May's number one Aeromexico and LATAM Airlines. The carrier’s performance was mirrored in Cirium’s global airports ranking for the month, in which King Khalid in Riyadh finished top of the pile with 85% of flights taking off within a quarter of an hour of when they were supposed to,

Thai AirAsia edged out JAL at the top of the Asia Pacific table and took second behind in the global budget or low cost carrier category behind Gol, which flies around Brazil. Iberia Express was the highest-ranked European budget flyer, coming in fifth, with Vueling making the top 10.

Delta Air Lines was again first in North America, with 80% of its near 150,000 flights landing on time, a record that saw it listed as eighth-best globally. In another replication of May's results, Alaska Airlines was second with 77% of the more than 38,000 flights it operated deemed punctual.