Philippines carriers among most on-time airlines in ASEAN

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s largest carriers have taken advantage of their reduced number of trips to improve their flight punctuality, allowing them to top Southeast Asia as most on-time airlines.

Based on Cirium’s On-Time Performance Monthly Report, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific posted a punctuality rate of 84.98 percent to land as Southeast Asia’s fifth most prompt airline in April.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) ranked sixth with 83.45 percent, while the AirAsia Group, including AirAsia Philippines, ended at seventh with 76.4 percent.

One of the world’s finest carriers, Singapore Airlines, finished on top of the list as it turned in an on-time rate of 87.52 percent. The airline was trailed by Garuda Indonesia (86.08 percent), Scoot (85.78 percent) and Malaysia Airlines (85.39 percent).

Thai Airways placed eighth with 75.39 percent, while Thai Vietjet Air clinched ninth with 70.25 percent. Vietjet Air rounded up the list with 61.65 percent.

Cirium said the average on-time rate of Southeast Asia’s most punctual is 79.74 percent in April, with the airlines belonging to the list making up nearly 109,000 flights.

Cirium said although April was a mixed bag for the aviation industry, Southeast Asia is proving to be an outlier with its airlines quick to adjust their flight schedules.

Moreover, Cirium said April exhibited that even low-cost carriers like Cebu Pacific are matching full-service airlines in terms of on-time performance.

“Operational excellence continues to define Southeast Asia’s aviation landscape, as April results reveal meaningful gains in on-time performance across leading carriers. The region’s airlines are increasingly demonstrating precision in execution, even with network complexity and passenger volumes continuing to rise,” the report read.

“Singapore Airlines remains the benchmark for punctuality, while Cebu Pacific’s rise into the top tier reflects the growing sophistication of low-cost airline operations. Vietjet Air and Thai Vietjet Air further underscore competitive intensity and commitment to performance optimization,” the report added.

April also marked the start of flight reductions for the country’s largest carriers, including Cebu Pacific and PAL, as they maximize their fuel supply on high-demand routes.

Right now, jet fuel prices are starting to ease, sliding to $162.55 per barrel as of May 15, but still far from the pre-conflict average of below $100.