Aeromexico maintained a 90.02% on-time performance in 2025, retaining its title as the most on-time global airline for a second year running, according to Cirium's latest On-Time Performance Review.
The Mexican flag carrier is now one of only two airlines to achieve consecutive global wins since Cirium launched the Review in 2009. In 2025, Aeromexico operated 188,859 flights across 23 countries.
In second and third place, Aeromexico was joined by Saudia (86.53%) and SAS (86.09%), respectively.
The margin between first and third place was 3.93 percentage points, reflecting the strong performance of Aeromexico in 2025.
Regional winners included Delta Air Lines in North America, which took the top spot for a fifth consecutive year with 80.90%.
Iberia Express in Europe — part of International Airlines Group (IAG) — defended its title for a third consecutive year with 88.94%.
Philippine Airlines claimed the Asia-Pacific regional title for the first time with 83.12%.
Copa Airlines achieved its 11th regional title in Latin America, and the most of any airline since 2009, with 90.75%.
And finally, Safair topped the Middle East and Africa regional category with 91.06%.
"Maintaining consistent on-time performance requires sophisticated network planning, operational coordination, and the ability to recover quickly when irregularities occur,” said Jeremy Bowen, Cirium CEO.
“These results reflect the operational discipline that defines aviation's top performers."
Qatar Airways was named Cirium's Platinum Award winner, in recognition of its operational excellence across its global hub network.
The airline achieved an 84.42% on-time performance across more than 198,303 flights spanning six continents.
Virgin Atlantic won Cirium's new 'Most Improved' award, demonstrating the largest year-over-year operational performance gain among global carriers.
The UK-based airline improved its on-time performance from 74.01% in 2024 to 83.45% in 2025 — a 9.44 percentage point increase year-over-year.
The new award recognises airlines that have achieved meaningful operational scale while delivering substantial improvements. With a minimum baseline performance of 70%, the award recognises genuine operational excellence rather than recovery from poor prior performance.
Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport won the Large Airport category, with 87.04% of flights departing on time.
Panama's Tocumen International Airport won the Medium Airport category with 93.34% of flights departing on time.
Ecuador's Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport claimed the Small Airport title for the second year in a row with 91.47% of flights departing on time.
And Istanbul Airport won Cirium's Airport Platinum Award, which evaluatesrecognises operational complexity, passenger impact during disruptions, and growth trajectory.