FlySafair Leads Middle East and Africa for On-Time Performance in 2025

FlySafair Leads Middle East and Africa for On-Time Performance in 2025. South African low-cost carrier FlySafair has been named the most on-time airline in the Middle East and Africa, recording an on-time arrival score that surpasses that of the world’s officially ranked number one airline.

According to the Cirium 2025 On-Time Performance Review, FlySafair achieved an on-time performance rate of 91.06 percent, placing it at the top of the Middle East and Africa regional rankings. Although this figure is lower than the airline’s 93.82 percent score in 2024, it remains higher than the top score recorded by any airline included in Cirium’s global rankings.

Cirium’s annual review is based on more than 25 million data points drawn from over 600 data sources, making it one of the most widely referenced benchmarks for airline operational performance worldwide.

For its Global Airline Rankings, Cirium only considers carriers that fall within the top 10 percent based on capacity and volume, and that operate across at least three global regions. FlySafair did not qualify under these criteria, as it is a smaller airline with a predominantly domestic network operating within a relatively limited regional market.

Despite this exclusion, FlySafair still recorded the highest on-time score across all airlines assessed in both the global and regional categories. Its performance exceeded the global industry benchmark and surpassed Aeromexico, which was recognised as the world’s most punctual airline in the official global rankings with a score of 90.02 percent. Two other South African carriers, Airlink and South African Airways, also placed within the top 25 airlines overall in the Cirium rankings.

Cirium attributed FlySafair’s strong results to disciplined scheduling practices and consistently rapid aircraft turnaround times of approximately 30 minutes. The airline also makes extensive use of real-time operational data and contingency planning to minimise delays and recover quickly from disruptions. These systems were recently tested when a shortage of flight control staff led to delays over a weekend period.

FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon said the 2025 recognition was a significant achievement given the operating challenges faced by airlines. “With sustained challenges in air traffic management, fuel supply certainty, and airport infrastructure, maintaining reliable on-time performance has required extraordinary coordination and discipline,” Gordon said.

He added that the result reflected the commitment of the airline’s teams.