Indigo soars: Dark horse carrier claims global on-time flight victory in latest Cirium report

India‘s very own IndiGo has emerged as the dark horse, claiming the fourth spot globally in on-time performance for flights, according to the latest report from travel data analytics firm Cirium.

In a surprising turn of events, Avianca Airlines of Colombia secured the top spot with an impressive 85.73% on-time performance, closely followed by Brazil’s Azul Airlines and Qatar Airways. The global criteria set by the company define a global airline as one serving three regions daily.

However, stealing the spotlight in the Asia-Pacific region were Japanese giants All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, securing the top two positions with on-time performance rates of 82.75% and 82.58% respectively. Notably, Thai AirAsia slipped from first place in 2022 to fourth last year.

IndiGo’s rise to prominence is not just limited to its punctuality accolades. The low-cost carrier, boasting the largest fleet size and market share in India, achieved a remarkable milestone last year by becoming the first Indian carrier to ferry 100 million passengers in a calendar year. With an on-time performance score of 82.12%, IndiGo is giving tough competition to regional heavyweights ANA and JAL.

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport emerged as the world’s most punctual hub last year, closely followed by the remarkable ascent of India’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, reported NBC Philadelphia.

Cirium’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mike Malik, attributed Hyderabad’s monumental jump to phenomenal investments in technology, processes, and people, emphasising that sustaining such high-performance numbers requires meticulous attention.

Below is the full ranking list from Cirium.

Global

1. Avianca Airlines — Colombia
2. Azul Airlines — Brazil
3. Qatar Airways — Qatar
4. Delta Air Lines — US
5. Iberia — Spain

Asia-Pacific

1. All Nippon Airways — Japan
2. Japan Airlines — Japan
3. Thai AirAsia — Thailand
4. IndiGo — India
5. Air New Zealand — New Zealand

Europe

1. Iberia Express — Spain
2. Iberia — Spain
3. Norwegian Air Shuttle — Norway
4. Austrian Airlines — Austria
5. LOT Polish Airlines — Poland

Global airports

1. Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport — US
2. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport — India
3. Kempegowda International Airport — India
4. El Dorado International Airport — Colombia
5. Salt Lake City International Airport — US