Spain's Iberia airline named most punctual in Europe
Despite a year of post-pandemic travel demand compounded by staff shortages and strike action across the continent, Iberia was Europe's most punctual airline in 2022 and Spanish companies performed strongly overall in rankings released recently.
Iberia has been named the most 'on-time' airline in Europe in 2022, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm.
In the report, Iberia received a punctuality score of 88.87 percent on a total of 91,154 flights throughout the year. A 'on-time' flight is defined as one that arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time at the scheduled gate.
2022 was, of course, a year that saw certain pressures on the aviation sector. With Covid-19 travel restrictions finally lifted in many parts of the world, the sector experienced a post-pandemic surge in demand as travellers tried to make up for lost time and enjoy their newfound freedoms.
This surge was then compounded by staff shortages and strike action at airlines around Europe, making Iberia's performance in 2022 rather remarkable amid such a perfect storm of pressures.
- READ ALSO: Flights, trains and ferries: Spain’s new international travel routes in 2023
- READ ALSO: Everything that changes about travel in Spain in 2023
Javier Sánchez-Prieto, President of Iberia, said in a statement that "punctuality is one of the most precious values for our customers, so this award is a great source of pride for us and a recognition for the great work of each and every one of the employees who make our planes take off and land on time. Congratulations to the entire Iberia team that has worked together for a common goal. Few milestones better demonstrate the spirit of teamwork, commitment, professionalism and pride in duty than punctuality, because all areas of the company must be coordinated perfectly like an orchestra to guarantee the success of the operation."
Spanish airlines flying high
But Iberia wasn't the only Spanish airline that performed well in the rankings.
In fact, Spanish airlines took the top four spots in Europe: with Air Europa coming in second, Iberia's budget airline, Iberia Express, in third, and Vueling in fourth.
Air Europa managed 84.10 percent punctuality rate, out of a total of 48,163 flights. Iberia Express and Vueling reached 83.80 percent and 82.04 percent punctuality, respectively.
Vueling operated a huge number of flights, 197,546, in 2022, while Iberia Express operated just 35,655.
After the four Spanish airlines, the rankings were Austrian, with 82 percent punctuality, Norwegian Air Shuttle (81.29 percent), ITA Airways (80.29 percent), Norwegian Air International (79.03 percent), Finnair (75.16 percent) and LOT Polish Airlines (75.08 percent).
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Iberia has been named the most 'on-time' airline in Europe in 2022, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm.
In the report, Iberia received a punctuality score of 88.87 percent on a total of 91,154 flights throughout the year. A 'on-time' flight is defined as one that arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time at the scheduled gate.
2022 was, of course, a year that saw certain pressures on the aviation sector. With Covid-19 travel restrictions finally lifted in many parts of the world, the sector experienced a post-pandemic surge in demand as travellers tried to make up for lost time and enjoy their newfound freedoms.
This surge was then compounded by staff shortages and strike action at airlines around Europe, making Iberia's performance in 2022 rather remarkable amid such a perfect storm of pressures.
- READ ALSO: Flights, trains and ferries: Spain’s new international travel routes in 2023
- READ ALSO: Everything that changes about travel in Spain in 2023
Javier Sánchez-Prieto, President of Iberia, said in a statement that "punctuality is one of the most precious values for our customers, so this award is a great source of pride for us and a recognition for the great work of each and every one of the employees who make our planes take off and land on time. Congratulations to the entire Iberia team that has worked together for a common goal. Few milestones better demonstrate the spirit of teamwork, commitment, professionalism and pride in duty than punctuality, because all areas of the company must be coordinated perfectly like an orchestra to guarantee the success of the operation."
Spanish airlines flying high
But Iberia wasn't the only Spanish airline that performed well in the rankings.
In fact, Spanish airlines took the top four spots in Europe: with Air Europa coming in second, Iberia's budget airline, Iberia Express, in third, and Vueling in fourth.
Air Europa managed 84.10 percent punctuality rate, out of a total of 48,163 flights. Iberia Express and Vueling reached 83.80 percent and 82.04 percent punctuality, respectively.
Vueling operated a huge number of flights, 197,546, in 2022, while Iberia Express operated just 35,655.
After the four Spanish airlines, the rankings were Austrian, with 82 percent punctuality, Norwegian Air Shuttle (81.29 percent), ITA Airways (80.29 percent), Norwegian Air International (79.03 percent), Finnair (75.16 percent) and LOT Polish Airlines (75.08 percent).
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