Less than 52% of Air Canada’s flights arrived on time in July: Report

Alaska Airlines took first place with 82 per cent of its 36,960 flights arriving on schedule. Air Canada said it understands delays and disruptions are "disappointing."

Less than 52 per cent of Air Canada’s 36,017 flights last month arrived on time, a new report by Cirium has found.

The aviation analytics company ranked the 10 most punctual major North American airlines in July. Air Canada finished in last place, while WestJet ranked seventh with just under 62 per cent of its 17,405 reaching their destinations on time.

Alaska Airlines took first place with 82 per cent of its 36,960 flights arriving on schedule.

Air Canada would not provide an interview for this story.

In an emailed statement, Air Canada attributed its ranking to high demand for air travel, flights at near-full capacity, and air traffic control staffing shortages that have led to cancellations and delays.

It also pointed the finger at weather.

“The weather this summer has been unusual, particularly in the U.S., where we are the foreign carrier that operates the most flights, so we are more affected than other Canadian airlines,” wrote a member of the media relations team.

“To give you an idea, in July 2023 we had 26 days of significant weather events that disrupted our operation, compared to 19 in July 2019.”