On-time performance (OPTP) is becoming an increasingly valuable marketing message for airlines and airports around the world as the latest OAG results for 2018 are published.
With 58 million flights tracked, including one special service on the 25th December, it’s clear that many airlines are linking on-time performance to their wider commercial success.
The most punctual airline in 2018 is Copa Airlines followed by airBaltic and Hong Kong Airlines; carriers from three very different markets that have in the last few years focussed heavily on this key performance indicator. Amongst the airports, a new entrant, Minsk achieved the highest level of on-time performance with Panama City in second place and Osaka in third.
Naturally the Mega Airline category receives a lot of focus and the standout performer in this category was LATAM Airlines Group followed by Japan’s largest two airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines. For LATAM Airlines, with a complex operation across many different countries in Latin America, the results are particularly impressive.
Key challenges highlighted in previous yearly reports appear to have resulted in some improvements; most impressively in China where the three largest locally-based airlines have made significant year-on-year improvements on their airline delays. Equally, the impact of external factors on airline performance such as industrial disputes and weather clearly impacted the performance of some carriers in Europe.
With 2019 already showing capacity growth in all markets, the challenges for maintaining on-time performance will increase as pressure on various pieces of infrastructure continues to impact performance. Undoubtedly airlines and airports will rise to the challenges faced and strive to maintain the current levels of performance.
Only time will tell if that happens…