- Safair leads global OTP rankings with 94pc rate
- Four airlines achieve OTP rates of 90pc or higher
- Jet2.com records zero cancellations across 16,160 flights
- Scandinavian Airlines most punctual European carrier at 87pc
- Wizz Air cancels just 19 flights at 0.1pc rate
Safair in South Africa has recorded a 94pc on-time performance rate across 5,139 flights tracked in August 2026, with just three cancellations, according to OAG research. Four airlines join Safair in achieving OTP rates of 90pc or higher with a cancellation rate below 1pc, including Fuji Dreams at 93pc, Royal Jordanian at 91pc and Gulf Air at 90pc. Royal Jordanian and Gulf Air continue to perform at this level despite grappling with ongoing geopolitical disruption affecting the Middle East.
Seven airlines operated through August without a single cancellation. Jet2.com achieved a zero-cancellation record across 16,160 scheduled flights, and SkyExpress did the same across 6,772 flights. However, OTP appears to have been the trade-off, with Jet2.com recording a 60pc OTP rate and SkyExpress just 52pc. In North America, weather and geography took their toll, with five airlines cancelling more than 5pc of scheduled flights. Air Inuit cancelled 6.8pc of flights with only 56.7pc OTP, while Westjet cancelled 6.3pc and Air Canada cancelled 5pc. Southwest Airlines cancelled just 816 flights at 0.7pc with a 70.7pc OTP rate, while American Airlines recorded the largest volume of cancellations at 4,828 flights.
In Europe, Scandinavian Airlines was the most punctual carrier with 87pc of flights arriving on time, ahead of Aer Lingus at 83.1pc and Icelandair at 81.7pc. EasyJet recorded the most cancellations among European carriers with some 1,330 flights affected and a 2.2pc cancellation rate. Ryanair scheduled 116,221 flights and operated 114,852 with a 0.4pc cancellation rate, while Wizz Air cancelled just 19 flights at 0.1pc. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabian Airlines cancelled 1,263 flights equivalent to 7.5pc of its planned operation, while Etihad cancelled five flights with a 70pc OTP rate and Emirates cancelled 27 flights at 0.2pc.
John Grant, OAG Analyst, shared: “August is the busiest month of the year, and with many airlines operating at maximum capacity, it demands high on-time performance. In summary, airlines appear to have performed well in August despite the regular challenges faced from various sources. September may bring some relief to that pressure with slightly reduced levels of frequency, but every day still presents its own new set of challenges.”
