FlySafair Quietly Becomes The World’s Most On Time Airline

FlySafair’s Punctuality Tells A Bigger South African Story

South Africans are used to hearing complaints about delayed flights, infrastructure challenges and airport bottlenecks. That is what makes the latest recognition for FlySafair feel quietly remarkable.

In Cirium’s 2025 On-Time Performance Review, the low-cost carrier was named the most punctual airline in the Middle East and Africa, with an impressive 91.06 percent of flights arriving on schedule. While the figure is slightly down from its 2024 score, it still beats every airline measured globally, including the world’s officially crowned number one.

Why FlySafair Is Not Officially Number One Globally

The rankings come from Cirium, one of aviation’s most trusted data authorities, which analyses more than 25 million data points from over 600 sources.

However, Cirium’s global rankings only include airlines in the top 10 percent by capacity and volume, provided they operate across at least three regions. FlySafair, which mainly serves South Africa’s domestic market, does not meet those criteria.

That technicality aside, FlySafair still recorded the highest on-time score of any airline assessed in both regional and global categories. Its performance even surpassed that of Aeromexico, which topped the official global list with a 90.02 percent on-time rate.

Precision, Fast Turnarounds And A Tight Operation

Cirium credits FlySafair’s consistency to disciplined scheduling, rapid 30-minute aircraft turnarounds and heavy use of real-time operational data. When disruptions occur, the airline relies on contingency planning to recover quickly.

That system was tested recently when a shortage of flight control staff caused delays over a busy weekend. Even then, the airline’s recovery measures limited the wider impact, reinforcing why it continues to score so highly for reliability.

Recognition Despite Local Challenges

According to FlySafair chief marketing officer Kirby Gordon, the 2025 performance award carries extra weight because of the operating environment in South Africa.

He pointed to ongoing challenges such as air traffic management constraints, fuel supply uncertainty and ageing airport infrastructure, including baggage handling systems that airlines do not directly control. Against that backdrop, maintaining punctuality requires what he described as extraordinary coordination and discipline.

For many local travellers, the result resonated strongly on social media, where FlySafair is often praised for reliability even when passengers remain critical of fare prices during peak travel periods.

A Shrinking Market With A Standout Performer

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa’s domestic aviation market was crowded. Comair operated British Airways and Kulula, South African Airways ran both SAA and Mango, and FlySafair, CemAir and Airlink operated independently.

Today, only five airlines remain active: South African Airways, Lift, FlySafair, CemAir and Airlink. In that leaner landscape, FlySafair has emerged not just as a survivor but as a global benchmark for punctuality.

A Decade Of Consistency, Not A One-Off

Since launching in 2014, FlySafair has regularly featured among the world’s most punctual airlines. The 2025 results continue a long pattern rather than a surprise breakthrough.

The airline was also named “Best Airline” by public vote at the South African Civil Aviation Authority’s 2025 Excellence Awards and received the Skytrax award for Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa from Skytrax.

Why This Matters Beyond The Rankings

In a country where reliability is often undermined by systemic challenges, FlySafair’s performance feels symbolic. It shows that operational excellence is still possible, even within a constrained domestic market.

For South African travellers, it reinforces a simple truth many already believe: when FlySafair says it will get you there on time, the numbers suggest it usually does.

{Source:Business Tech}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com