Recent government data reveals that Qantas has maintained its position as Australia’s most punctual major domestic airline in July.
The national carrier, including its regional arm QantasLink, achieved a reasonably strong on-time departure rate of 74.1%. The airline narrowly outperforming its main competitor, who came in at 73%.
This performance metric should be considered in context with a month which saw domestic carriers grapple with inclement weather conditions across the month at Sydney Airport.
July Performance
This July performance is part of a broader trend for Qantas. From April through July, the airline has consistently improved its punctuality, with nearly 80% of flights departing on schedule.
This figure approaches the carrier’s long-term average, signaling a return to pre-pandemic efficiency levels.
July’s results mark Qantas’ best performance for the month since 2021. However, the airline faced significant hurdles due to severe weather conditions. Strong winds and other meteorological challenges affected operations on 27 out of 31 days last month.
Sydney Airport, a major hub, was forced to operate with just one runway on nine separate occasions, further complicating flight schedules.
Cancellation Rates Low
Despite these obstacles, Qantas managed to keep its cancellation rate low. Only 3.2% of domestic flights were cancelled in July, a slight improvement from June’s 3.3%.
A Qantas spokesperson highlighted the airline’s resilience, stating, “Our punctuality for the month was our best July result since 2021 and shows we’re continuing to climb back towards long-term averages.”
Jetstar Additional Challenges
Jetstar, Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary, faced additional challenges. The global Crowdstrike software outage severely impacted its operations, resulting in nearly 150 flight cancellations.
Consequently, Jetstar’s on-time departure rate dropped to 65%, with a cancellation rate of 3.7% for domestic flights.
Matt Franzi, Jetstar’s Chief Operating Officer, acknowledged the difficulties: “We had some significant operational challenges during July, but our cancellation rate remained low.”
“The Crowdstrike software outage affected services and companies across the globe, resulting in significant disruption.”
Franzi added that once systems were restored, Jetstar’s teams worked diligently to accommodate affected passengers. He emphasized the airline’s commitment to punctuality despite the setbacks: “Our teams continue to work hard to make sure that our flights are on time for our customers.”
As the aviation industry continues to recover from the pandemic’s impact, these results demonstrate the resilience and adaptability of Australia’s major airlines.
While challenges persist, the trend towards improved punctuality and reduced cancellations bodes well for travelers and the sector as a whole.
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