Airports in South Africa, Brazil and Panama have the highest on-time takeoff and landing rates in the world, with two airports in Japan ranking second.
Indoor waterfalls, rooftop pools, yoga studios and children’s play areas: airports around the world are adding amenities to their offerings to travelers. But most would be willing to trade all of these amenities for on-time flights.
Based on this desire, the passenger rights protection company AirHelp, ranked more than 239 major airports in 69 countries, focusing on the punctuality rate of flights from May 2023 to April this year.
Check-in counter at Cape Town International Airport, South Africa. Photo: Daily maverick
Cape Town Airport, South Africa ranked first with a score of 8.6 out of 10, equivalent to an on-time performance of 86%. Brazil’s Brasilia – Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek Airport and Panama City Tocumen, Panama tied for the top spot. In second place were two representatives from Japan, both scoring 8.5 points: Nagoya Chubu and Osaka Itami. Tan Son Nhat Airport, Ho Chi Minh City ranked 184th with a total score of 7.2. Noi Bai Airport was not on the list.
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The least punctual airports were Tunisia’s Tunis Carthage with an average score of 4.8. The UK’s London Gatwick (57%) and Portugal’s Lisbon Humberto Delgado (58%) were second and third from the bottom.
To get the score, AirHelp cross-referenced data from government agencies, airports, and flight tracking providers.
On-time performance is calculated as flights taking off and landing within 15 minutes of the published time. This criteria accounts for 60% of the total rating. The remaining 40% is based on reviews from passengers who have experienced the airports and traveler ratings of the food and shops there.
The score is calculated on a scale of 10, with the number of points an airport gets corresponding to its on-time percentage. “If an airport scores 8.5 points, it means it has an on-time percentage of 85%,” said an AirHelp representative.
According to flight analytics company OAG, on-time performance is related to the operations of airlines, airports and other unforeseen factors such as adverse weather, personnel incidents, air traffic congestion due to flight overload during peak season. However, on-time performance is still a big advantage to affirm the brand, quality and efficiency of airlines and airports.
There are also other sub-rankings, with Qatar’s Doha Hamad Airport taking the top spot for food and shops, followed by the UAE’s Dubai Airport and Japan’s Sapporo New Chitose.