KLM Europe’s most punctual airline

KLM was the most punctual European airline during the month of January, according to statistics released today.

Figures from FlightStats show that 88.9 per cent of all flights operated by the Dutch airline arrived on time, defined as being within 15 minutes of arrival. The news will vindicate the large number of business travellers who choose to fly via Schiphol rather than Heathrow.

Of the British-based airlines, BMI did best on punctuality, with 86. 2per cent of all flights arriving on time. British Airways was the 29th most punctual airline in Europe during the month and around three-quarters of its nearly 20,000 filghts arrived punctually.

Europe’s least punctual airlines during the month were Martinair, EuroLOT and LOT Polish Airlines. Every second flight on these three airlines was delayed by more than 15 minutes. A quarter of all Amsterdam-based Martinair’s flights were delayed by more than 45 minutes.