Oman Air soared to the top of OAG’s On-Time Performance (OTP) rankings for March, achieving an impressive 96.4% OTP—an extraordinary leap from its 20th position in February. Close behind, Royal Jordanian delivered 94.6% of its flights on time, while Saudia completed a clean sweep for Middle Eastern carriers in the top three with a 94.1% OTP.
Top Performers Among Very Large Airlines
Among very large carriers operating over 20,000 flights per month, SAS Scandinavian Airlines led the pack with a 91.8% OTP. Hainan Airlines followed at 88.2%. IndiGo continued its consistent performance, ranking sixth with an 85.9% OTP and impressive zero cancellations.
American Airlines reported 3,779 canceled flights, amounting to a 1.9% cancellation rate—seemingly high but still outperforming Qantas. The Australian carrier struggled the most in this category, with a 4.5% cancellation rate, largely due to disruptions caused by Cyclone Alfred.
Challenges for Major Carriers
Despite high OTP figures—each above 85%—Emirates, ITA Airways, and Iberia each saw one cancellation in March, marring otherwise near-flawless performances. Virgin Australia was similarly impacted by Cyclone Alfred, reporting a cancellation rate of 5.0%, almost mirroring Qantas’s difficulties.
Medium-Sized Airlines: Standouts and Setbacks
In the medium-sized carrier category, Aer Lingus claimed the top spot with a 90.0% OTP, narrowly edging out FlyNas at 89.7%. Finnair faced operational headwinds, including a pilot dispute that led to over 3% of flights being canceled. Meanwhile, Jet2 and Skyline earned distinction by reporting no cancellations at all.
