Saudi Arabian Airlines, Royal Jordanian and Flynas rated third, fourth and fifth
UAE - Punctuality is highly important for the airline industry because it not only improves passengers' perception and credibility about the airline but also reduces costs.
According to travel analyst portal OAG, Dubai's Emirates substantially improved its punctuality rating in 2018, achieving an on-time performance (OTP) of 81.44 per cent last year compared to 79.71 per cent in the previous year. This resulted in Emirates being rated the second-most punctual airline in the Middle East in 2018, compared to fourth in 2017.
During 2018, there were five new entrants among the top 20 airlines that ranked below 20 last year: Bangkok Airways, LatAm Airlines Group, KLM, Siberia Airlines and Emirates.
Globally, Dubai's carrier was ranked the 19th-most punctual among mainline airlines.
Regionally, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Royal Jordanian and Flynas were rated third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Globally, Copa Airlines topped with 89.79 per cent on-time performance followed by airBaltic, Hong Kong Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Qantas Airways, LatAm Airlines Group, Qatar Airways, KLM and All Nippon Airways.
Azul, Jetstar Asia, Solaseed, Mango and Volaris achieved the best OTP rating among low-cost carriers. None of the GCC-based budget carriers could make it to the top 20 ranking in 2018.
OAG's data is based on 58 million flight records using full-year data from 2018 to create a ranking of the best OTP for the world's largest airlines and airports.
Among mega airports handling over 30 million passengers per annum, Tokyo Haneda achieved the highest punctuality rating with an OTP score at 85.62 per cent, followed by airports of Atlanta, Singapore's Changi, Denver and Los Angeles.
Munich Airport is a new entrant to this ranking, having qualified for the mega airports category for the first time, while Paris Charles de Gaulle and Dubai have dropped out of the table, OAG said.
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