'Unprecedented': The most punctual global airline last year was 'absolutely' a surprise, analytics firm CEO says

Aeromexico was the most punctual global airline in 2024, according to a report published by aviation analytics company Cirium.

Some 86.7% of its tracked flights arrived "on-time," defined as arriving within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival times.

This result was "absolutely"a surprise, Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen told "Squawk Box Asia" Friday.

"They've had a remarkable year," he said. "They've increased their on-time performance ... by a whopping 9%. To go from from outside the top 10 to No. 1 is quite unprecedented."

Bowen attributed Aeromexico's ascent to the company culture, investment in new equipment, and relationship with its hub at Mexico City International Airport, which ranked fourth for on-time flights among global airports in Cirium's report. When both an airline and its hub score well, "that's because they are working effectively as a team," he said.

Saudia (formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines) ranked second among global airlines — up from 9th place in Cirium's 2023 rankings — with 86.35% of flights arriving on time, according to the report published Thursday.

Delta Air Lines (83.46%) placed third, followed by Latam Airlines (82.89%) and Qatar Airways (82.83%), according to Cirium's "2024 On-Time Performance Review." For the fourth year in a row, Cirium named Delta the "best global airline for operational excellence," in recognition of its punctuality and size. It's one of the largest airlines in the world.

Overall, on-time flight arrivals dropped by 0.5% in 2024 from the previous year, Bowen said.

He said the CrowdStrike software update, which inadvertently grounded thousands of flights, especially those operated by Delta Air Lines, hurt the overall punctuality of the industry.

"We've also had a lot of abnormal