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Qantas was the world’s third most on-time major airline in January, according to data from UK-based analytics firm OAG.
The Flying Kangaroo arrived at the gate within 15 minutes of schedule 83.32 per cent of the time last month, OAG said, behind China Southern in first place at 89.4 per cent, and Hainan Airlines in second place at 87.92 per cent. Out of a total of 22,676 Qantas flights, 2.18 per cent were cancelled.
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OAG, which considers both domestic and international performance in its rankings, defines a “major” airline as one that operates more than 20,000 flights per month, with Qantas the only Australian carrier in the category.
Virgin Australia placed 10th in the “large” airline category (10,000-20,000 flights per month), with 82.48 per cent on-time and 0.82 per cent cancelled. Jetstar did not rank in the top 25 large airlines, finishing 111st among all carriers at 67.02 per cent on-time and 2.46 per cent cancelled.
Across all airlines, OAG ranked Qantas 33rd and Virgin Australia 36th. While domestic BITRE data has yet to be released for January 2026, the Qantas Group has beaten Virgin Australia in on-time performance for seven consecutive months, though its rival continues to lead on completion rates.
As reported by The Australian, the result is a significant turnaround from its 106th-place position at the height of post-COVID-19 woes in 2022.
“It’s a credit to all of our team members who have been working hard to deliver more reliable services,” Qantas Domestic chief executive Markus Svensson told the masthead.
“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 to build on this momentum.”
The news comes a month after fellow analyst Cirium ranked Air New Zealand second in the Asia-Pacific for on-time performance across the 2025 calendar year, behind only Philippine Airlines (PAL) at 83.12 per cent; Virgin and Qantas placed eighth and ninth in the Asia-Pacific region, respectively.
According to Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen, the aviation industry last year “responded with excellence” to a “constantly shifting landscape” of supply chain issues, surging demand, and volatile weather.
“Maintaining consistent on-time performance requires sophisticated network planning, operational coordination, and the ability to recover quickly when irregularities occur. These results reflect the operational discipline that defines aviation’s top performers,” he said.
Aeromexico was Cirium’s most on-time global airline in 2025 for the second year in a row.
