Canada’s airports & airlines got slammed in a new global ranking — and YUL wasn’t spared

It looks like Montreal–Trudeau Airport and Canadian airlines have some serious catching up to do when it comes to flight delays. A new global ranking of the most on-time airlines and airports in 2024 has been revealed — and let’s just say it’s not a good look for Canada’s aviation industry.

Cirium, a global aviation analytics company, revealed the winners of its 2024 On-Time Performance Review on Thursday, highlighting airlines and airports around the world that excelled in on-time performance last year.

Among North American airlines, Canada’s Air Canada and WestJet just squeezed into the top 10, ranking ninth and tenth respectively. But globally? Not even close. Meanwhile, Canada’s low-cost carriers didn’t crack the list at all. And if you’re wondering about our airports, none ranked in the top 20 worldwide — in any size category. Yikes.

How Canadian airlines stack up

Globally, Mexico’s Aeromexico was crowned the most on-time airline in 2024, with a stellar 86.7% on-time performance rate. Delta Air Lines took the top spot for North America (which, for the purposes of this report, includes only Canada and the U.S.) at 83.46%, showcasing why it’s seen as a regional leader.

Air Canada and WestJet barely even made the North American list with on-time rates of 71.36% and 70.99%, respectively. Meanwhile, other Canadian airlines like Porter, Air Transat, Flair and Sunwing were nowhere to be seen on the list.

Cirium defines an on-time flight as one that arrives within 15 minutes of its scheduled gate time, and for airports, departures within the same window count. These metrics are widely recognized as the gold standard for operational excellence.

Air Canada also had the fourth-highest number of cancelled flights in North America, despite operating far fewer total flights than any others in the top five. The Canadian flag carrier had a cancellation rate of 2.8% — the third-highest rate in the region.

WestJet didn’t fare any better, with a 3.19% cancellation rate — the second-highest among major North American airlines.

The challenges behind the numbers

Cirium’s report notes that air traffic control shortages were a major issue for North American airlines in 2024, impacting schedules in Canada as well as the U.S.

Aviation consultant Scott McCartney highlighted how these shortages forced widespread delays and cancellations, noting that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration was short about 3,000 controllers nationwide, resulting in schedule cuts at major airports in cities like New York City and Washington, D.C. Severe weather and IT disruptions added to the chaos, making recovery strategies crucial.

McCartney emphasized that recovery is key: “When airplanes and crews are out of place, gates are full and passengers are stranded, how an airline recovers greatly impacts overall performance.” While some airlines have turned to AI to solve these issues, Canadian carriers still have work to do to keep up with the best in the biz.

Canadian airports left off the map

Globally, the top-performing airports were led by Riyadh King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, with 86.65% of its flights leaving on time. Lima, Peru; Mexico City, Mexico; Salt Lake City, U.S.; and Santiago, Chile rounded out the top spots.

Broken down into size categories, Riyadh King Khalid took the top spot on the list of large airports, Panama City Tocumen International Airport in Panama won out in the medium category, and Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Ecuador topped the list of small airports.

And Canada’s airports? Nowhere to be seen. Our airports didn’t even crack the top 20 — in any category. Woof.

What this means for your travel plans

For frequent flyers, these rankings highlight how reliable (or not) an airline or airport might be when planning trips. Cirium’s methodology relies on over 600 data feeds to track gate times and cancellations. While the review acknowledges challenges like severe weather and staffing shortages, the numbers don’t lie — and Canada’s aviation industry clearly has its work cut out for it.

Whether you’re flying Air Canada or WestJet, or taking off from a Canadian airport, the message is clear: We’ve got a long way to go to match global standards.

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