While slightly lower than the 93.82% recorded in 2024, the score underscores the airline’s consistent operational precision in a sector increasingly challenged by staffing shortages, unpredictable weather, and complex airspace constraints.
Global Context and Industry Challenges
Cirium, which monitors more than 25 million data points from over 600 sources, notes that structural constraints have become a baseline in aviation rather than temporary disruptions.
While Cirium’s global rankings only include the top 10% of airlines by capacity and route diversity, FlySafair did not meet those criteria due to its largely domestic focus.
Nevertheless, the airline’s 91.06% punctuality rating exceeded the global industry benchmark and outperformed Aeromexico, widely regarded as the world’s most punctual airline, which recorded 90.02%.
Keys to Success
Since its launch in 2014, FlySafair has consistently ranked among the world’s most punctual airlines, winning multiple global awards for on-time performance.
In 2025, it also received the “Best Airline” award by public vote at the South African Civil Aviation Authority Excellence Awards and the SkyTrax Award for “Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa.
The low-cost carrier attributes its performance to precise scheduling, rapid 30-minute turnarounds, real-time data utilization, and robust contingency planning, which allow it to recover quickly from disruptions.
The airline recently relied on these systems after a shortage of flight control staff caused weekend delays.
South Africa’s Domestic Market
South Africa’s domestic airline market has consolidated significantly since the pre-COVID era, now operating five carriers: South African Airways (SAA), Lift, FlySafair, CemAir, and Airlink.
Within this competitive landscape, FlySafair has leveraged operational precision and customer focus to carve out a leading position in regional aviation, proving that punctuality remains a powerful differentiator for airlines in Africa.
