Saudia Tops Cirium May 2026 On-Time Ranking

‍LONDON — Saudia (SV) ranked as the world’s most on-time global airline in May 2026, according to Cirium’s latest On-Time Performance Monthly Report, while Asia Pacific and North America remained the largest pressure points for flight cancellations.

The Saudi flag carrier posted a 90.12% on-time arrival rate in May, ahead of Qatar Airways (QR) at 89.56%, SAS (SK) at 87.73%, Singapore Airlines (SQ) at 87.71%, and Hainan Airlines (HU) at 87.64%. Cirium’s global airline ranking covered 198,130 total flights, with total on-time arrivals at 86.82%.

Gulf carriers lead global ranking

Saudia’s top global position also placed it fourth in Cirium’s combined Middle East & Africa category, where African and Gulf carriers performed strongly in May. FlySafair (FA) led that regional ranking with a 93.56% on-time arrival rate, followed by Flyadeal (F3) at 93.37%, Royal Jordanian (RJ) at 90.82%, Saudia at 90.12%, and Qatar Airways at 89.56%.

The result is notable because the global ranking measures airlines with broad international scale, while regional rankings compare carriers within their own operating environments. Cirium defines airline on-time performance by arrivals at the gate within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival time.

WestJet leads North America

In North America, WestJet (WS) ranked first with an 85.88% on-time arrival rate, followed by Delta Air Lines (DL) at 82.70%, Alaska Airlines (AS) at 82.30%, JetBlue (B6) at 82.01%, and United Airlines (UA) at 80.44%.

American Airlines (AA) ranked sixth in North America with a 79.94% on-time arrival rate, while Southwest Airlines (WN) ranked tenth at 70.44%. Cirium tracked 802,129 total flights in the North America airline category for May, with total on-time arrivals at 79.30%.

Regional winners across the world

Jeju Air (7C) led Asia Pacific with a 92.00% on-time arrival rate, ahead of Peach Aviation (MM), Vietnam Airlines (VN), Singapore Airlines, and Hainan Airlines. In Europe, Norwegian (D8, DY) ranked first at 88.58%, followed by Austrian Airlines (OS), SAS, LOT Polish Airlines (LO), and Wizz Air (W4, W6, W9).

In Latin America, Copa Airlines (CM) again led the region with a 90.19% on-time arrival rate, followed by Sky Airline (H2), Avianca (AV), Gol (G3), and Azul (AD). Copa’s recurring strength is also highlighted elsewhere in the report, where Cirium notes that the airline has won 11 annual awards as Latin America’s most on-time airline.

Airports: China, Riyadh lead large-hub ranking

Among large airports, Harbin Taiping International Airport (HRB) ranked first with a 95.31% on-time departure rate, followed by Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC) at 93.43% and Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH) at 91.85%.

For medium airports, Changchun Longjia International Airport (CGQ) led with 94.28% on-time departures, followed by Panama City Tocumen International Airport (PTY) at 92.32%. Among small airports, Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) ranked first at 94.02%, followed by Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) at 93.81%.

Cancellations remain uneven

Cirium’s cancellation summary points to a mixed operational picture. Asia Pacific recorded 31,783 cancelled flights in May, up from 24,242 in April, while North America rose to 10,309 cancellations from 7,718 the previous month. Europe moved in the opposite direction, falling to 5,741 cancellations from 11,379 in April.

That split matters for travelers and airlines. On-time rankings show how completed flights performed, but cancellation data shows where schedule reliability remains under pressure before passengers even board.

Cirium updates OTP methodology

The May report also outlines changes to Cirium’s 2026 On-Time Performance program. The Global Airline category now requires meaningful service across four regions instead of three, while the ASK threshold has been lowered from 17 billion to 15 billion ASKs. Cirium is also measuring multi-AOC airline brands as single entities, rather than splitting performance across separate operating certificates.

Additional changes are coming. Cirium said its advisory board approved work on a new category for hybrid and next-generation carriers, a separate treatment of Middle East and Africa as distinct regions, and a new airport category for facilities handling between one and five million passengers annually.