Air New Zealand recorded 85.3 per cent of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule in August, up from 83.1 per cent in July and 81.8 per cent in the same month last year, against a global average of 73.1 per cent.
International services record strongest improvement
International services showed one of the sharpest gains, with on-time performance rising to 80.4 per cent from 74.5 per cent in July and 76.2 per cent a year earlier. Regional punctuality reached 86.8 per cent, up from 85.9 per cent in July, while domestic jet services recorded 85.3 per cent. The airline operated 13,053 flights across its domestic and international network during the month.
The result placed Air New Zealand fourth among Asia Pacific airlines for on-time performance in Cirium’s monthly rankings. Cancellations attributable to factors within the airline’s control fell to 1 per cent of scheduled flights, with total cancellations reducing from 2.8 per cent in July to 2.5 per cent in August, as weather conditions eased from July’s winter peak, which recorded almost twice the weather-affected flights of August.
Air New Zealand chief operations officer, ground and in-flight, Kate Boyer said the improvement reflected consistent focus across the operation. “August was a good step forward after a challenging July, and our team has done a great job strengthening our performance,” Boyer said.
Baggage handling remains ahead of global average
Preliminary FY26 figures show 2.77 bags mishandled per 1,000, around half the current global average of 4.9 per 1,000. Air New Zealand carried 12.8 million bags across the year, up from 12.5 million the prior year, with improved scanning and traceability giving ground teams greater visibility of bags throughout each journey.
