Japan Airlines no longer most punctual carrier in Asia-Pacific

By Hoang Vu January 4, 2026 | 10:32 pm PT

Japan Airlines aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Aug. 30, 2012. Photo by Reuters

Japan Airlines, which was named the most punctual airline in the Asia-Pacific region in 2024, has lost its title to Philippine Airlines in the latest ranking by London-based travel data analytics firm Cirium.

Japan Airlines was pushed to the fifth position in the 2025 ranking with an on-time performance rate of 78.25%.

Philippine Airlines achieved an on-time performance rate of 83.12%.

Air New Zealand ranked second, followed by Japan's All Nippon Airways and Singapore Airlines.

Cirium defines a flight as "on time" if it arrives or departs within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of its scheduled time.

The data used to consolidate the rankings was taken from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information, said the report.

Japan Airlines is often cited as Japan's second-largest airline, behind its main rival All Nippon Airways, with both carriers dominating the Japanese aviation market and serving as major international carriers.