They began 2023 with quite a number of challenges, such as numerous complaints about its services like delays, cancelled flights, and poor inflight amenities. But if there is one thing going for Philippine Airlines, it is their dedication to slowly but surely bring back its glory days, starting with improving its on-time performance. For the year of 2023, PAL ranked #8 in terms of the best On-Time Performance among all other airlines in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to a report from Cirium, which collects and analyzes different aviation data, PAL achieved an on-time performance of 77.46%, placing them next to Singapore Airlines at 78.57% and above Cathay Pacific at 76.32%. Leading the list of most on-time airlines in the APAC region is ANA, with an on-time performance of 82.75%.
According to the report, PAL’s 77.46% OTP is based on 98.54% of tracked flights of the airline, with a total of 106,720 flights tracked.
| Airline | Rank | On-Time Performance | Flight Completion | Safety Rating | Passengers Carried |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANA (NH) | 1 | 82.75% | 99.96% | 98.89% | 302,279 |
| JAL (JL) | 2 | 82.58% | 99.90% | 98.59% | 308,302 |
| Thai AirAsia (FD) | 3 | 82.52% | 99.03% | 99.98% | 113,871 |
| IndiGo (6E) | 4 | 82.12% | 94.84% | 99.34% | 678,446 |
| Air New Zealand (NZ) | 5 | 79.68% | 99.10% | 96.54% | 175,876 |
| Garuda Indonesia (GA) | 6 | 78.67% | 98.68% | 98.85% | 61,525 |
| Singapore Airlines (SQ) | 7 | 78.57% | 99.94% | 99.92% | 99,653 |
| Philippine Airlines (PR) | 8 | 77.46% | 98.54% | 97.20% | 106,720 |
| Vietnam Airlines (VN) | 9 | 77.46% | 80.33% | 99.13% | 150,674 |
| Cathay Pacific (CX) | 10 | 76.32% | 99.44% | 99.58% | 73,578 |
PAL is Slowly Regaining its Grip
Amidst all the challenges they face, including airport congestion, aircraft spare parts, lack of planes, and older planes, PAL continues to utilize its current resources and improve in whatever areas they can. First is PAL’s on-time performance in 2023 and the reduction of flight cancellations. Secondly, there’s an improvement in its inflight meals and services. While some of its planes are definitely outdated, except for the later 777-300ERs, the two remaining A350-900s, the tri-class A330s, and the A321neos, PAL continues to put effort into areas where they can really enhance their services.
The year 2025 will be a big one for the airline as not only will new routes be introduced, but also new planes, as they take delivery of their A350-1000s, all with a tri-class configuration. All remaining A321neos, 13 of them, will resume delivery beginning in 2026. These planes will be equipped with full IFEs in all classes.
However, the most important thing right now is seeing PAL make significant improvements gradually. And hopefully, their aim to become one of the best airlines in Asia may soon be realized once again.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
