Most punctual airline in Asia-Pacific region

CEBU, Philippines — Philippine Airlines (PAL) secured the top spot in on-time performance (OTP) rankings for April, following a consistent streak of high OTP results in previous months.

The flag carrier ranked second in punctuality in January 2025 and October 2024 and placed third in March 2025, as well as in November and December 2024.

The rankings come from London-based Cirium, a leading aviation analytics firm that has monitored airline and airport punctuality for over 16 years.

Cirium defines an on-time flight as one that arrives at the gate within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival—a crucial metric reflecting travelers’ expectations and airlines’ adherence to airport slot schedules.

“We remain committed to strengthening reliability across all facets of our operations, with safety as our cornerstone,” said PAL Senior Vice President for Operations, Capt. Roland A. Narciso.

“This milestone is a testament to the collective dedication of our flight and ground teams, employees, service partners, and industry stakeholders,” he added.

PAL operated more than 9,900 flights in April 2025, serving 1.3 million passengers. April 22 marked a significant milestone, with 337 flights—the highest single-day frequency recorded since the pandemic.

PAL achieved an 86.07% OTP in April, surpassing the 81.01% average of the top ten Asia-Pacific airlines and outperforming all North American carriers in Cirium’s punctuality report.

The airline had also ranked as the most punctual carrier in January 2024, with an OTP of 86.85%, and secured seventh place in the overall global standings for the year. In 2023, PAL placed eighth in worldwide OTP rankings.

Cirium noted PAL’s success coincided with a broader operational improvement, highlighted by a 24% global reduction in flight cancellations. — (FREEMAN)