AirAsia Philippines lands on world’s most punctual list

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines made it as the world’s fourth most punctual airline in June, according to aviation analyst OAG.

OAG said AirAsia Philippines turned in an on-time performance of 92.96 percent last month, the fourth best score among all carriers.

In addition, AirAsia Philippines posted zero cancellations — the only one among the leading 10 on the list — over its 2,535 flights in June.

Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia topped the list with an on-time score of 97.13 percent, while Fuji Dream Airlines came next with 93.29 percent. South African airline FlySafair ranked third with 93.18 percent.

Saudia tailed AirAsia Philippines at fifth with 92.41 percent, followed by Royal Jordanian (92.14 percent) and Sky Airline (91.87 percent). South African Airways came in at eighth with 91.44 percent to stay ahead of Copa Airlines (90.75 percent) and Jeju Air (90.12 percent).

The OAG on-time list is different from the one produced by aviation expert Cirium, which also issues a monthly index of punctual airlines, frequently including flag carrier Philippine Airlines.

AirAsia Philippines president and general manager Anna Victoria Lu said the carrier is focusing next on sustaining its on-time performance for the benefit of passengers.

Lu recognized the challenges faced by airlines recently, especially when flights were delayed, if not canceled, due to airspace restrictions and jet fuel price hikes.

At the height of flight disruptions, Lu said AirAsia Philippines managed to keep its on-time rates up by maintaining aircraft availability. She underscored the importance of working closely with air traffic control to improve flight dispatch and turnaround.

The AirAsia Group, the parent of AirAsia Philippines, ranked 10th in the world for large airlines with an on-time rate of 83.02 percent in June. The carrier also limited flight cancellations to just 0.92 percent across 14,502 flights.

To be assessed for on-time performance, an airline must have a minimum of 1,500 flights for the month.

Similar to Cirium’s index, OAG assesses a carrier’s timeliness if a flight departed from or arrived at its designated gate within 15 minutes of schedule.