IndiGo flies high on punctuality chart despite December turbulence

IndiGo has secured a spot among the top 10 most punctual carriers in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Cirium’s 2025 On-Time Performance Review.

The annual report, released by aviation analytics company Cirium, ranks airlines and airports worldwide based on timeliness, network scale, and operational consistency.

The Indian carrier earned the sixth spot among Asia-Pacific airlines with a 78.12% on-time arrival rate across 802,418 flights.




Also Read: IndiGo, Air India crises strain country's aviation boom

Top 10 Asia-Pacific Airlines (2025)

Ranking	Airline	On-Time Arrivals	Total Flights
1	Philippine Airlines (PR)	83.12%	116,268
2	Air New Zealand (NZ)	79.29%	171,216
3	ANA (NH)	78.88%	309,998
4	Singapore Airlines (SQ)	78.58%	121,293
5	JAL (JL)	78.25%	313,410
6	IndiGo (6E)	78.12%	802,418
7	Cathay Pacific (CX)	76.78%	119,193
8	Virgin Australia (VA)	76.54%	155,038
9	Qantas (QF)	76.51%	276,859
10	Korean Air (KE)	75.34%	133,252

While IndiGo’s performance demonstrates resilience over most of the year, December brought unprecedented operational disruption.

In the first 10 days of December 2025, the airline cancelled over 5,000 flights, following 900 cancellations in November.

The disruptions affected more than 1.25 million passengers, causing flight cancellations, delayed baggage deliveries, and stranded crew members.

The turmoil stemmed from a combination of factors, including new pilot duty regulations effective November 1, staffing gaps, winter schedule adjustments, minor technical issues, and adverse weather.

In response, IndiGo temporarily cancelled all flights from Delhi and obtained DGCA exemptions valid until February 10.

The airline also refunded ₹1,100 crore and offered ₹10,000 vouchers to affected passengers between December 3 and 5.

Aeromexico retains title

Globally, Aeromexico emerged as the world’s most on-time airline for the second consecutive year, achieving a 90.02% on-time performance across 188,859 flights.

The Mexican carrier is only the second airline to win back-to-back global titles since Cirium launched the program in 2009, narrowly surpassing Saudia (86.53%) and SAS (86.09%).

Regional winners

• North America: Delta Air Lines led with 80.90% punctuality across 1.8 million flights.
• Europe: Iberia Express topped the chart for the third consecutive year at 88.94%.
• Asia-Pacific: Philippine Airlines claimed the regional title with 83.12% punctuality.
• Latin America: Copa Airlines extended its record streak to 11 wins, posting 90.75%.
• Middle East & Africa: Safair recorded 91.06% on-time performance.

Qatar Airways received the Platinum Award, achieving 84.42% punctuality across 198,303 flights, while Virgin Atlantic was recognised as the inaugural Most Improved Airline, improving from 74.02% in 2024 to 83.45% in 2025.

Airport Performance

Istanbul Airport earned Cirium’s Airport Platinum Award, while Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport led the Large Airport category with 87.04% on-time departures.

Panama’s Tocumen International Airport topped the Medium Airport list (93.34%), and Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport won the Small Airport category for the second consecutive year (91.47%).