It’s more than a little ironic that just a day after I had the pleasure of a two-hour delay – spent sitting on the tarmac, waiting for air traffic control – aboard a FlySafair plane that news drops that South Africa’s busiest low-cost airline has been named the most on-time airline in the Middle East and Africa.
Using millions of data points from hundreds of sources, the annual Cirium On-Time Performance Review is a respected global audit assessing airline performance.
In the latest report, FlySafair carrier achieved a 91.06% on-time arrival rate, outperforming global airlines including Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Emirates. Of course, flying short domestic and regional routes – often with arrival and departure times slightly ‘padded’ to allow for hiccups – is a different game to coordinating hundreds of aircraft and millions of passengers each year. But still, for many travellers, on-time performance matters, and Cirium’s On-Time Performance Review has placed FlySafair at the top of its Middle East and Africa rankings for 2025, with a 91.06% on-time arrival rate across 62 805 flights.
“While we have achieved this recognition previously, it carries particular significance this year,” says FlySafair’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon. “With sustained challenges in air traffic management, fuel supply certainty, and airport infrastructure; including baggage handling systems that sit outside an airline’s direct control; maintaining reliable on-time performance has required extraordinary coordination and discipline.”
The Cirium ranking isn’t the only recent accolade for FlySafair. The airline also placed first in Skytrax’s Best Low-Cost Airlines in Africa (2025) list, with LIFT in second.
What does On-Time Performance actually mean?
On-Time Performance (OTP) is a global benchmark that compares the scheduled arrival or departure time with the actual arrival or departure time. Under the International Air Transport Association standard, anything within 15 minutes of the plan counts as ‘on time’.
While Cirium certainly carries some weight globally, statistics from Airports Company South Africa add weight to FlySafair’s latest accolade. While December stats are not yet available, from January to November 2025, FlySafair outperformed competing airlines at South Africa’s two largest airports.
At OR Tambo International Airport, FlySafair was on time 89% of the time, compared to Airlink (86%), SAA (84%) and Lift (83%). Cemair was the worst performer, landing barely three-quarters (76%) of its flights on time.
Cape Town told a similar story, with FlySafair tops at 92.5%, and Airlink hot on their heels at 92%. Cemair did slightly better landing in the Mother City, with 85% of flights on time, followed by SAA (83%) and Lift (81%).
It was only in Durban and Gqeberha that the tables were turned in 2025, with Airlink edging out FlySafair for the most on-time airline.
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