The ‘world’s most punctual’ airlines revealed
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Aussie airline Qantas has hit a milestone, awarded the illusive title of the most punctual airline in the whole world – for one month at least.
The accolade, based on data from industry body OAG, was for the month of June and covered over 22,000 flights. More than 80 per cent of the Aussie airline’s flights were on time.
Qantas was the most punctual airline in the whole world for June 2026. AP
No other Aussie airlines made the cut for June. Delta Airlines and China Southern were among the big names in the top ten.
Qantas has steadily been climbing in the global rankings. It placed second in April with an 87.8 per cent on-time performance rate.
This is a sharp improvement on March, when Qantas ranked 9th with an on-time performance of 83.7 per cent.
The Aussie carrier started the year ranked third, with a score of 85 per cent in January.
At the time, Chief Executive Officer Qantas Domestic Markus Svensson told nine.com.au they had been “working hard to deliver more reliable services”.
“The feedback we’re getting from customers is that they’re noticing the difference when they fly with us and we’re continuing to invest across our operations, from engineering to airports and new aircraft so we can continue build on this momentum,” he said in a statement.
It comes as Qantas hit a landmark in Australia.
History has been made at Australia’s newest airport with the first cargo aircraft touching down.
The first freight aircraft lands at Western Sydney International Airport. 9News
The Qantas Airbus A321 successfully landed at WSI on Monday, as part of a readiness flight ahead of regular freight operations starting on July 27.
The new terminal is expected to handle more than 850 tonnes of freight each week.
However, the big date for passengers to take off isn’t until October.
Qantas and Jetstar, Singapore Airlines, and Air New Zealand have now confirmed their new flights from WSI, with Jetstar operating the much-anticipated first commercial passenger flight. That will be on October 25.
Qantas is also working on the launch of its new direct flights between Sydney and London.
Project Sunrise flights will start in 2027 after multiple delays.
The inaugural 20-plus-hour commercial service will fly from Sydney to London, officially becoming the longest non-stop passenger flight in the world.
Speaking at a media event in Toulouse, France, Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the first direct flight to London would take off with passengers from October 2027.
