The coveted award for the most punctual airline went to Alitalia, in 2020. The ranking was prepared by Flightstats, an American company that organizes a monthly list of the world's main airlines.
The numbers confirm: 93,2% of Alitalia flights landed on time. The operator's performance therefore appears to have improved significantly compared to previous periods.
In 2018 and 2019, Alitalia was, in fact, elected the second most punctual airline in Europe and, respectively, the eighth and seventh worldwide.
However, in 2020 she managed to achieve a coveted record, even in a time of crisis: she ended up being the most punctual airline in Europe and the third most punctual airline in the world.
To show the punctuality of the aircraft, the company uses the “A14” methodology, that is, it has a 14-minute tolerance on arrival in relation to the expected landing time.
“We are particularly proud of this result, which came in a year that we could define as a perfect storm due to the unprecedented and unpredictable level of stress for the air transport industry,” he said Joseph Leogrande, director of Alitalia.
Fewer aircraft in the air
Competition for Alitalia was much lower in 2020. Overall, aviation was particularly affected by Covid-19, with legal restrictions on travel coupled with a lack of interest in flying among passengers.
Looking at the earnings statements for the third quarter of 2020, produced by IATA, the International Air Transport Association, it is clear to what extent airlines have been harmed.
Passenger plane arrivals in North America fell 48% from the previous year, according to December data released by aviation analytics firm Cirium. Latin America was only slightly better, at 46% below.
The numbers from Europe, in turn, were devastating: more than 70% below compared to last year. Even in the Asia-Pacific region (which controlled the pandemic better than other regions), arrivals fell by 30%.
By the end of October, the numbers were even bleaker: International flights were down 75% year-on-year, according to Cirium (although domestic flights were better, down 36% globally).
As the second wave of the pandemic spread across the world, airlines took drastic measures to cut costs, including reducing the number of aircraft, mothballing entire fleets and cutting routes.
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