It was 'on time' even though it was 11 minutes late. Thoughts after flying on Aeromexico, the world's most punctual airline

Today, I boarded Aeromexico flight AM1538 to return to San Luis Potosí after finishing a business trip.

As I entered the aircraft, a sticker posted near the entrance caught my eye.

CIRIUM ON-TIME PERFORMANCE GLOBAL WINNER 2025

Below that, it was written in Spanish as follows:

LA AEROLÍNEA MÁS PUNTUAL DEL MUNDO

Translated into English, this means:

The most punctual airline in the world

That is what it means.

I must admit, it felt a bit surprising that a Mexican airline had achieved the world's highest on-time performance rate.

Scheduled arrival at 19:45, actual arrival at 19:56

Today's flight AM1538 was scheduled to arrive at 19:45.

It actually arrived at 19:56.

That is an 11-minute delay from the schedule.

From the passenger's perspective, an 11-minute delay makes you feel like, 'It was a bit late today.'

Especially when returning from a business trip, I am tired.

Since I want to get back to my hotel or home as soon as possible, a delay of a few minutes feels longer than usual.

However, by the standards of the airline industry's on-time performance, this flight is treated as an 'on-time arrival.'

The general standard for an on-time arrival is arriving within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.

In other words, for a flight scheduled to arrive at 19:45, it is treated as on-time if it arrives by 19:59.

Since this AM1538 flight was 11 minutes late, while passengers might feel it was delayed, statistically it counts as a perfectly on-time flight.

If you don't know this standard,

you might think, 'It says it's the most punctual in the world, yet it's late again today.'

However, knowing the definition of the numbers changes how you see it.

Aeromexico is number one in the world in 2025

In the 2025 on-time performance rankings released by aviation data analytics firm Cirium, Aeromexico took first place in the global major airlines category.

The on-time arrival rate was 90.02%.

This means that approximately nine out of ten flights arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time.

Moreover, Aeromexico's world number one ranking is for the second consecutive year, following 2024.

The runner-up in 2025 was Saudia, and third place was Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).

Aeromexico, in first place, exceeded 90%, which is a very high level even by global standards.

From a Japanese perspective, there is a strong impression that JAL and ANA are more punctual.

In fact, both companies have high operational quality, but in Cirium's 2025 global comprehensive rankings, Aeromexico surpassed them.

Why is Aeromexico so punctual?

The reason for Aeromexico's high on-time rate is not simply that the pilots are flying faster.

Airline operations are not completed solely within the aircraft.

Many factors are involved, including arrival predictions, gate usage, baggage loading and unloading, refueling, cleaning, passenger boarding, air traffic control, and airport congestion.

If one part is delayed, that delay chains into the next flight, and the one after that.

It is said that Aeromexico meticulously manages arrival time predictions, gate management, and ground operations, centered around Mexico City International Airport, which is the hub of their operations.

This level of coordination is key to their success.

The key is not to recover from a delay after it happens, but to detect signs of a potential delay early and proactively manage aircraft, personnel, and boarding gates.

In other words, I believe Aeromexico's strength lies in

'never being delayed'

but rather in

'preventing small delays from escalating into major ones.'

Today's flight AM1538 might have been a classic example of exactly that.

Although it was delayed by 11 minutes, it arrived before crossing the 15-minute threshold.

Perception and statistics do not always align

What I found interesting this time is that there is a gap between human perception and statistical evaluation.

For passengers, a delay of 5 or 10 minutes is still a delay.

On the other hand, airline operations management evaluates performance based on whether a delay is under 15 minutes or longer.

It is not a matter of which is right or wrong.

The perspectives and objectives are simply different.

Passengers care about when they will arrive.

Airlines evaluate the stability of their entire operation, which consists of tens or hundreds of thousands of flights.

Looking at just one flight, it was an 11-minute delay.

Looking at the entire year, it is the world's number one airline, keeping over 90% of flights within a 15-minute window.

These two facts do not contradict each other; they coexist.

My impression of the Mexican airline has changed a little.

I have gained a new perspective on the Mexican airline.

Living in Mexico, there are many situations where one develops a different sense of time compared to Japan.

Roads get congested.

Procedures take longer than expected.

Plans can change at the last minute.

Because of this, when it is said that a Mexican airline is the 'most punctual in the world,' it feels a bit strange at first.

However, in reality, Aeromexico manages its operations at an extremely high level among airlines worldwide.

Of course, not every flight arrives exactly on schedule.

They are sometimes affected by weather or airport congestion.

Even so, keeping about 90% of flights within the on-time range throughout the year is no easy feat.

Today, I was tired from a business trip, so the 11-minute delay felt a bit long.

Even so, after I got off the plane and looked up the meaning of the sticker at the entrance,

'I see, so this still counts as on time.'

I felt a bit convinced.

The world's best on-time performance does not mean that every flight operates with second-by-second precision.

Even if small delays occur, they keep them within 15 minutes and prevent them from leading to major disruptions.

Such daily efforts are likely what lead to Aeromexico's world number one ranking.

Today's flight AM1538 was 11 minutes late.

However, statistically, it was an on-time arrival.

As a passenger, it felt a little late, but it was a flight where I, in a sense, experienced the world's best on-time performance.