Airline On Time Performance Statistics —Monthly
Summary—August 2021
For August 2021, on time performance over all routes operated by participating airlines (Jetstar, Qantas, QantasLink, REX Airlines, Virgin Australia and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines) averaged 89.3 per cent for on time arrivals and 89.5 percent for on time departures. The cancellation rate for the month was 23.0 per cent. Travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact flight cancellations. The equivalent figures for August 2020 were 88.2 per cent for on time arrivals, 87.2 per cent for on time departures and 3.7 per cent for cancellations.
This month’s on time arrivals figure was higher than the long term average performance for all routes (82.3 per cent) and the on time departures figure was also higher than the long term average (83.6 per cent). The rate of cancellations was significantly higher than the long term average of 1.9 per cent.
The Virgin Australia network (Virgin Australia and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines combined operations) recorded 90.6 per cent for on time arrivals while the Qantas network (Qantas and QantasLink combined operations) recorded 88.6 per cent. Virgin Australia achieved the highest on time arrivals among the major domestic airlines at 92.0 per cent followed by Jetstar at 88.9 per cent and Qantas at 85.3 per cent. Of the regional airlines, QantasLink recorded 90.1 per cent for on time arrivals, followed by REX Airlines at 89.7 per cent and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines at 81.6 per cent.
The Qantas network recorded 89.7 per cent for on time departures while the Virgin Australia network recorded 89.1 per cent. Virgin Australia achieved the highest level of on time departures among the major domestic airlines for August 2021 at 89.9 per cent, followed by Qantas at 88.7 per cent and Jetstar at 88.3 per cent. Of the regional airlines, QantasLink recorded 90.1 per cent for on time departures, followed by REX Airlines at 90.0 per cent and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines at 83.3 per cent.
Jetstar recorded the highest percentage of cancellations (at 38.7 per cent) during the month, followed by Qantas (at 32.5 per cent), Virgin Australia (at 29.4 per cent), QantasLink (at 18.7 per cent), REX Airlines (at 2.0 per cent) and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (at 0.6 per cent).
Airlines’ on time performance varies across the routes they serve. Individual route data by specific airline for 52 routes are shown on pages 9-19.
Of the 52 routes which met the criteria for on time performance reporting in August 2021, the Melbourne-Cairns, Launceston-Sydney, Gold Coast-Melbourne, Hobart-Sydney, Wagga Wagga-Sydney, Melbourne-Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast-Melbourne, Hamilton Island-Sydney and Sydney-Hamilton Island routes had the highest percentage of on time arrivals (100.0 per cent). The Hobart-Sydney, Wagga Wagga-Sydney, Sunshine Coast-Melbourne, Hamilton Island-Sydney and Sydney-Hamilton Island routes had the highest percentage of on time departures (100.0 per cent). The Sydney-Perth route had the lowest percentage of on time arrivals (64.0 per cent) and the Perth-Brisbane route had the lowest percentage of on time departures (62.2 per cent).
Cancellations were highest on the Melbourne-Gold Coast route at 79.7 per cent, followed by the Gold Coast-Melbourne route at 79.6 per cent, the Melbourne-Brisbane route at 70.3 per cent, the Brisbane-Melbourne route at 69.8 per cent and the Melbourne-Sunshine Coast route at 69.7 per cent.
Sunshine Coast Airport recorded the highest percentage of on time arrivals (100.0 per cent) and Sunshine Coast Airport and Wagga Wagga Airport recorded the highest percentage of on time departures (100.0 per cent). Perth Airport recorded the lowest percentage of on time arrivals (79.5 per cent) and Kalgoorlie Airport recorded the lowest percentage of on time departures (69.8 per cent). These figures only refer to reported routes and do not cover all flights at these airports.
Table 1: Total Industry On Time Performance for August 2021
| Reporting Airlines | Sectors Scheduled | Arrivals On Time % | Departures On Time % | Cancellations % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jetstar | 2 061 | 88.9 | 88.3 | 38.7 |
| Qantas - all QF designated services | 7 882 | 88.6 | 89.7 | 23.5 |
| REX Airlines | 2 387 | 89.7 | 90.0 | 2.0 |
| Virgin Australia - all VA designated services | 3 741 | 90.6 | 89.1 | 26.7 |
| All Airlines | 16 071 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 23.0 |
| Individual operating entities | ||||
| Qantas | 2 736 | 85.3 | 88.7 | 32.5 |
| QantasLink | 5 146 | 90.1 | 90.1 | 18.7 |
| Virgin Australia | 3 380 | 92.0 | 89.9 | 29.4 |
| Virgin Australia Regional Airlines | 361 | 81.6 | 83.3 | 0.6 |
Figure 1: Total Industry On Time Performance by month from August 2018
