Passengers flying from the UK with this little-known airline are the most likely to take off on time, according to new research.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently released its final Aviation Trends report for 2024, crowning Emerald Airlines top for punctuality.
In the last three months of the year, 83% of the carrier’s flights were on time, exceeding 80% in all four quarters.
In comparison, Ryanair came in with an average of 66.25%, while easyJet and British Airways both scored 67% and Wizz Air rounded out the year with 69%.
It’s great news for Emerald Airlines customers – but if you had no idea of their existence until now, you’re not alone.
Despite being the exclusive carrier for Aer Lingus regional services, the airline operates out of Belfast City Airport, so isn’t that widely known throughout the rest of the country.
In 2024, 15,823 Emerald flights set off from Belfast to the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Jersey and Newquay.
That’s around one fifteenth of the figure for BA or one seventeenth that of Easyjet, but – perhaps surprisingly given its familiarity as a brand – only around half of Ryanair’s flight count.
Commenting on the achievement, Richard Spencer, chief operations officer at Emerald Airlines, said: ‘We are incredibly proud to be named the UK’s most on-time airline for 2024. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team, from our flight crew to ground handling staff, operations to engineers, it is without a doubt a team effort.
‘We look forward to exceeding expectations in the year ahead, providing smooth and timely operations for our passengers for 2025 and beyond.’
In Which?’s annual ranking of the UK’s best airlines, Jet2 won out as the top short-haul carrier for the fourth year in a row, scoring five out of five for customer service, booking, cleanliness and value for money.
At the bottom end of the table, Wizz Air, the worst-performing short-haul airline for 2024, ranked just ahead of Ryanair with a customer score of 51%.
When it came to long-haul, Singapore Airlines claimed number one spotwith an ‘impressive’ customer score of 80%, followed by Etihad and Emirates.
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