Airlines Were on Time in 2020, but Passenger Flights Operated Halved Compared to 2019, Reveals Cirium
Over 180 of the major global airlines were on time in 2020, according to a new report by Cirium, the global aviation data company.The Cirium Airline Insights Review 2020 reveals that only 30 major airlines achieved this standard pre-pandemic. But over 60%—or 180 of 300 airlines globally—achieved a 90% or higher on-time arrival percentage since February 2020.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005632/en/
Cirium’s new report The Cirium Airline Insights Review 2020 reveals the world’s top 10 busiest airports of 2020. (Graphic: Business Wire)
On-time performance of the top 300 global airlines significantly improved as COVID-19 reduced the number of flights in the air. In 2020, airlines only flew half of the flights flown the previous year.
“The pandemic caused a significant reduction in flight volume with airlines operating 49% fewer flights in 2020. The factors that normally cause flight delays didn’t exist, such as congestion at the airport. Overall global passenger traffic was down in 2020 by 67% from the previous year,” said Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium.
Cirium’s top 10 league table for flights operated by country shows that the majority of flights were operated in the US, despite a 42% year-over-year drop in the market. China maintained its position, with only 24% of that market’s flights down versus 2019.
Japan overtook India, moving up to 3rd place as India’s flights were down 50% versus 2019. The UK was hit heavily with 67% of flights down compared to last year, moving it to 8th place from 5th. Russia moved from 10th place in 2019 to 5th in 2020 and Indonesia moved into the top 10.
Top 10 countries by passenger flights flown 2020 | ||||
Rank | Country | Total flights flown 2020 | Rank in 2019 | % YoY diff |
1 | United States | 5.1M | #1 | -42% |
2 | China | 3.4M | #2 | -24% |
3 | Japan | 638K | #4 | -43% |
4 | India | 592K | #3 | -50% |
5 | Russia | 486K | #10 | -34% |
6 | Brazil | 382K | #9 | -53% |
7 | Spain | 352K | #7 | -61% |
8 | United Kingdom | 340K | #5 | -67% |
9 | Indonesia | 333K | #12 | -53% |
10 | Mexico | 332K | #15 | -44% |
Source: Cirium Core, flights tracked data (passenger flights - narrowbody, widebody and regional) for Jan 1 to Dec 31, date filed Jan 1, 2021 | ||||
Asia-Pacific carriers recovered much quicker in 2020 than their global peers and rose in the rankings in flights operated. Out of the top 10 global airlines, China Southern Airlines’ passenger flights only dropped 28% versus 2019. United Airlines was the most impacted of the top 10, with a 54% drop in flights flown versus 2019.
No European carriers feature in the 2020 list. Ryanair moved to 13th place (from 6th) as the airline’s flights flown were down 72% versus the year before. Lufthansa was 11th in 2019 but missed out on the 2020 top 10, finishing at 29th place as flights flown dropped by 69% in 2020.
Top 10 airlines by passenger flights flown 2020 | |||||
Rank | Airline code | Airline | Total flights flown 2020 | Rank in 2019 | % YoY diff |
1 | WN | Southwest Airlines | 896K | #1 | -34% |
2 | AA | American Airlines | 622K | #3 | -44% |
3 | DL | Delta Air Lines | 619K | #2 | -46% |
4 | OO | SkyWest Airlines | 597K | #4 | -30% |
5 | CZ | China Southern Airlines | 521K | #7 | -28% |
6 | UA | United Airlines | 372K | #5 | -54% |
7 | MU | China Eastern Airlines | 321K | #9 | -33% |
8 | CA | Air China | 312K | #10 | -30% |
9 | 6E | IndiGo | 281K | #8 | -45% |
10 | YX | Republic Airways | 217K | #15 | -37% |
Source: Cirium Core, flights tracked data (passenger flights - narrowbody, widebody and regional) for Jan 1 to Dec 31, date filed Jan 1, 2021 | |||||
“Domestic travel has recovered faster and airlines with a dominant domestic market come back quicker,” Bowen said. “That is especially the case in Asia-Pacific where recovery is more positive. The US and Europe have experienced setbacks with government-enforced restrictions and additional waves of COVID-19 affecting travel.”
Travel restrictions and the shift to more leisure travel versus business travel changed the top 10 league table for flights flown by airport extensively.
Chicago O’Hare is usually the busiest airport globally for passenger flights, however the pandemic caused a 46% reduction in flights for the airport in 2020. Three Chinese airports—Guangzhou Baiyun, Chengdu Shuangliu, and Shenzhen Bao’an—moved into the global top 10 busiest airports by arriving passenger flights.
Top 10 airports by passenger flights flown 2020 | |||||
Rank | Airport code | Airport | Total flights flown 2020 | Rank in 2019 | % YoY diff |
1 | ATL | Atlanta US | 260K | #2 | -40% |
2 | DFW | Dallas US | 235K | #3 | -30% |
3 | ORD | Chicago US | 234K | #1 | -46% |
4 | DEN | Denver US | 202K | #5 | -32% |
5 | CLT | Charlotte US | 182K | #7 | -32% |
6 | CAN | Guangzhou CN | 165K | #13 | -28% |
7 | LAX | Los Angeles US | 156K | #4 | -50% |
8 | CTU | Chengdu CN | 148K | #37 | -16% |
9 | SZX | Shenzhen CN | 139K | #42 | -16% |
10 | SEA | Seattle US | 137K | #18 | -36% |
Source: Cirium Core, flights tracked data (passenger flights - narrowbody, widebody and regional) for Jan 1 to Dec 31, date filed Jan 1, 2021 | |||||
In 2019, London Heathrow was the 9th busiest airport for flights flown. In 2020, it ranked 31st and flights operating there were down 61% versus 2019. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was the busiest airport in Europe. Flight operations there dropped 57% in 2020 and as a result the airport sits at 27th globally.
The Cirium Airline Insights Review 2020 provides additional insights on 2020 air travel industry and includes The On-Time Performance Review 2020 by Cirium.
To read the full Cirium Airline Insights Review 2020 – click here.
Ends
Note to editors:
Data for the passenger flights flown is based on set criteria, which includes passenger flights only (including combination flights – passenger and cargo) that are scheduled and aircraft market classes of narrowbody, widebody, and regional jets. It excludes other types, such as cargo and business jet flights, as well as unscheduled flights.
For further information please visit www.cirium.com and follow Cirium updates via LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Cirium
Cirium brings together powerful data and analytics to keep the world moving. Delivering insight, built from decades of experience in the sector, enabling travel companies, aircraft manufacturers, airports, airlines and financial institutions, among others, to make logical and informed decisions which shape the future of travel, growing revenues and enhancing customer experiences. Cirium is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005632/en/
Contact information
For media enquiries, please contact,
In the UK: Paul Charles / Michael Johnson / Balint Brunner at The PC Agency via cirium@pc.agency or +44 207 768 0001
In the Americas: Mike Arnot, at Juliett Alpha via cirium@juliettalpha.com
In Asia-Pacific: Tracy Cheung, at Cirium via tracy.cheung@cirium.com
About Business Wire
Business Wire(c) 2018 Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in multiplatform press release distribution.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
H.I.G. Capital Announces the Sale of DGS S.p.A.11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global alternative investment firm with $62 billion of capital under management, is pleased to announce that an affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company, DGS S.p.A. (“DGS” or the “Group”), a leading firm in the Italian Information Technology market, to DGS Co-Founders and management team in partnership with ICG, a global alternative asset manager. Since its inception in 1997, DGShas supported blue-chip customers in the design, integration, and maintenance of complex IT systems, with a specialization in digital transformation and cybersecurity services. The Group currently has over 1,900 employees, revenues of approximately €300 million, and maintains a group of highly loyal clientele. During H.I.G.’s ownership, DGS has tripled in size and consolidated its position as a leading Italian firm in cybersecurity services and digital transformation. DGS offers its clients sophisticated and proprietary digital transformation
Evertas Names Nick Selby Head of European Underwriting11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
Evertas, the world’s first crypto insurance company, has named Nick Selby as its new Head of European Underwriting. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611141887/en/ Nick Selby, Executive Vice President and Head of European Underwriting at Evertas (Photo: Business Wire) Selby, an accomplished information and physical security professional, brings two decades of expertise in public and private sector information security, physical security, and complex incident handling, as well as seven years of experience leading teams securing billions of dollars in cryptoassets. Previously, his roles included VP of the Software Assurance Practice at Trail of Bits, Chief Security Officer at Paxos Trust Company, and Director of Cyber Intelligence and Investigations at the NYPD Intelligence Bureau. “Nick is an extremely valuable addition to our European team,” said Evertas CEO and Co-Founder J. Gdanski. “His public and private
Owlet utvider globalt fotavtrykk med lanseringen av medisinsk-sertifisert Dream Sock™ i Storbritannia og over hele Europa11.6.2024 11:00:00 CEST | Pressemelding
Owlet, Inc. («Owlet» or the «Company») (NYSE:OWLT), pioneren innen smart spedbarnsovervåking, kunngjør i dag den britiske og europeiske lanseringen av Dream Sock. Dette er en smart babymonitor med levende helseavlesninger og varsler for friske spedbarn mellom 0-18 måneder og 2,5-13,6 kg. Dette innovative medisinske utstyret gir foreldre helse og viktig informasjon i sanntid, noe som gir uovertruffen trygghet. Denne pressemeldingen inneholder multimedia. Se hele pressemeldingen her: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611820341/no/ (Photo: Business Wire) «Vi er svært stolte over å lansere Dream Sock til omsorgspersoner over hele Storbritannia og Europa og gi millioner av foreldre mer trygghet mens babyen sover,» sa Kurt Workman, Owlets administrerende direktør og medgründer. «Dream Sock er nå et globalt produkt som er anerkjent som medisinsk nøyaktig og trygt, etter å ha gjennomgått regulatoriske autorisasjoner og sertifiseringer innenfor flere geografier. I dag er misjonen vår
V-Nova Surpasses 1000 Patent Milestone in Media Technology Innovation11.6.2024 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
V-Nova, a leading provider of data compression solutions, video compression technology, XR technology, AI acceleration and parallel processing for a multitude of industries including media and entertainment, today announced its milestone achievement of 1000 active technology patents. This accomplishment underscores V-Nova’s dedication to research and development and its commitment to protecting its intellectual property globally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611724561/en/ V-Nova’s patent portfolio spans more than 50 different jurisdictions. Including over 400 patents in Europe, over 200 in the Americas, over 100 in the United States specifically, and over 200 in Asia. V-Nova forged new directions in data processing to enhance digital experiences, maximize efficiency, reduce costs, and increase sustainability. The company leads the way with key international data compression standards for the video indust
Alipay+ Reveals Top Scorer Trophy Design for UEFA EURO 2024™11.6.2024 09:24:00 CEST | Press release
Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions operated by Ant International and an Official Partner of UEFA EURO 2024™, today revealed the trophy that will be awarded to the most prolific marksman at the UEFA EURO 2024™ finale on July 14 in Berlin, Germany. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240610328619/en/ The UEFA Top Scorer Trophy presented by Alipay+ is unveiled for UEFA EURO 2024™ (Photo: Business Wire) Sculpted in the shape of the Chinese character “支” (pronounced zhi, and meaning payment as well as support), the trophy reflects Alipay+’s dedication to supporting consumers to enjoy seamless payment and a broad choice of deals using their preferred payment methods while traveling abroad. The character also resembles the fleeting moment of a barefooted striker poised to shoot, evoking the original beauty and power of football – a game that united people across the wo