A recent study by BestBrokers has revealed which are the best and worst airports and airlines for on-time departures and cancellations across Asia-Pacific.

The aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) reported a staggering 161% increase in international passengers compared to 2022. This remarkable performance, however, does not equal a satisfactory travel experience for many passengers. On the contrary, the traffic increase, combined with severe weather conditions, the higher prices of aircraft fuel, supply chain disruptions, and other factors, has caused thousands of flights over the past year to be delayed and canceled.

According to calculations by BestBrokers and information from OAG, a UK-based air travel data provider, the least dependable airline in the Asia-Pacific region for 2023 is Indonesia’s Lion Air with a total of 59.73% delayed or canceled flights. However, Lion Air is not alone, with several Indonesian carriers making the top 10 worst airline listing, including Batik Air (52.65% delayed or cancelled); Wings (49.01%), both of which are part of the Lion Air Group; and Citilink (42.49%).

Indian carriers are also struggling, with the now defunct Go First coming in second (53.57%) and Spice Jet at number 6 (45.47%). Batik Malaysia came in at number 8 (40.88%) followed by Shenzhen Airlines (37.97%) and Australia’s Jetstar (36.47%).

Of course, airlines are only part of the travel journey and the study found that the worst Asia-Pacific airport to be stuck at is Ninoy Aquino International Airport (at bottom) in the Philippines, which had 51.54% of all flights in 2023 delayed or canceled. Again, Indonesia top several top spots, with its worst airports including Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Sulawesi (32.08%); Bali’s Ngurah Rai International (43.41%); Surabaya’s Juanda International Airport (43.40%); and Jakarta’s Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (40.31%).

Ironically, Garuda Indonesia topped the list of on-time airlines (4.74%) and was the only legacy carrier to make the top 10.

China also recorded poor on-time departure rates, with the biggest culprits being Wuxi Shuofang Airport (46.68%);Wenzhou Longwan International Airport (41.35%); Ningbo Lishe International Airport (40.34%); and Nanjing Lukou International Airport (38.35%).

Osaka International (11.05%); Japan’s Chubu Centrair International (11.18%); and Taipei Songshan Airport (12.27%) topped the best airports in the region for on-time departure, with Japan dominating the list with 5 of the top 10 spots.

Asia-Pacific airports are leading the 2023 charts for the busiest international and domestic routes worldwide, with Kuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi being the busiest international route last year, while Jeju International – Seoul Gimpo grabbed the top spot for domestic routes.

In addition, last year, India’s Mumbai airport was added to the list of the country’s 66 airports operating entirely on green energy, making them carbon neutral. The region is investing heavily in advanced technological developments and sustainability measures to cut down its carbon footprint and bring a balance between science and nature.

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