Aviation analytics firm Cirium recently published its monthly on-time performance report for the month of November, and the results are interesting. Let's take a closer look.
The global category
Oslo Airport (OSL)--with an on-time percentage (OTP) of 87.63%--has replaced Haneda Airport (HND) in Tokyo as the most punctual airport in the global category. The Japanese airport had been the most punctual for nine consecutive months prior and has since dropped to fourth place.
Cirium tracked 15,929 flights through the Norwegian travel hub, representing 99.46% of the airport's entire operation. The average departure delay for the airport was 34 minutes across 90 routes.
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) took second and third place with an OTP of 86.78% and 86.44%, respectively. Both airports experienced a greater number of flights and a longer average departure delay than Oslo but served around the same number of destinations.
The large category
In the large category, New Chitose Airport (CTS) in Hokkaido replaced Osaka International Airport (ITM), which is now the second most punctual in the category. The two airports had an OTP of 92.95% and 91.11%, respectively, and shared a similar number of flights, destinations, and average departure delay.
Fukuoka Airport (FUK) came in third with an OTP of 89.23%, followed by Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) in Hyderabad, which had an OTP of 88.44%.
It is worth noting that the top three airports in this category were all located in Japan.
The medium category
The medium category saw Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO) return as the most punctual airport, although with a slight decrease in its OTP (from 95.14% in October to 93.99% in November). The airport served 5,289 flights to 31 destinations with an average departure delay of 36 minutes.
Sendai Airport (SDJ) and Keflavik International Airport (KEF) in Iceland took second and third place with respective OTPs of 91.44% and 91.03%.
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The small category
In the small category, Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH) replaced Bromma Airport (BMA) in Stockholm as the most punctual with an OTP of 98.02%. The airport served 1,692 flights to 15 destinations with an average departure delay of 44 minutes, while the former category leader was nowhere to be found on the list.
Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) and Painushima Ishigaki Airport (ISG) came in second and third with an OTP of 93.52% and 92.94%, respectively.
It is worth noting that the top three airports in this category were all located in Taiwan.
Japanese airports demonstrated a strong showing across all categories.
Cirium's monthly analysis of on-time performance ultimately shows changes across all but the medium category. Such a trend indicates that airports are constantly working on improving their logistics and operations to ensure more timely service. Airlines that are considering new routes will want to keep an eye out for Cirium's annual airport report; after all, it is in their best interests to fly out of an airport that has a reputation for operating on time as delays result in airlines having to compensate passengers and can affect the timely departure of other flights which rely on the same aircraft.
Cirium's monthly report can be found here.