New data reveals the Aussie airlines that are on time and which ones fail to take off

New data has been released, revealing which Aussie airlines depart on time the most and which ones are more likely to arrive late.

New data has revealed one airline started the new year on top for being on time and completing the most scheduled flights in Australia.

Bureau of Transport Research and Economics (BITRE) data found Virgin Australia completed almost all of its scheduled flights in January, achieving a rate of 99.2 per cent.

The airline’s departure on time performance rate was 78 per cent, while Qantas achieved 71.6 per cent in January.

BITRE found of the 59 routes which met the criteria for on time performance reporting in January 2025, the Adelaide-Gold Coast route had the highest percentage of on time arrivals at 93 per cent and on time departures at 97.7 per cent.

Just over half the flights arrived on time on the Proserpine-Brisbane route, while only about half the flights on the Launceston-Brisbane route left on time.

The most cancelled flights occurred on the Canberra-Sydney route at 6 per cent and Sydney-Canberra route at 5.3 per cent.

Data found Virgin Australia departure on time performance rate was 78 per cent, while Qantas achieved 71.6 per cent in January. Supplied

Skytrans, which operates across northern parts of Australia, had the highest cancellation rate in January at 16.3 per cent followed by Qantas at 2.8 per cent.

Port Lincoln Airport recorded the highest percentage of on time arrivals at 89.5 per cent and had the highest percentage of on time departures at 90.5 per cent.

Proserpine Airport recorded the lowest percentage of on time arrivals at 63.2 per cent, while Broome Airport had the lowest percentage of on time departures at 53.6 per cent.

Virgin Australia chief operations officer Stuart Aggs said reliability was incredibly important to their passengers, and never more so than in the holiday period when people travelled to see family and friends.

Virgin Australia said despite weather related challenges, the airline had consistently recorded strong completion rates in December and January. Supplied

“We call it SPOT – safely performing on time – and it is a responsibility our team takes very seriously, so it is great their hard work is paying off,” he said.

Mr Aggs said despite weather related challenges caused by summer storms, the airline had consistently recorded strong completion rates in December and January.

“A range of measures, including additional aircraft on standby and more team members rostered on reserve, have helped us manage inevitable disruption as it arises,” Mr Aggs said.

Originally published as New data reveals the Aussie airlines that are on time and which ones fail to take off