According to the monthly OAG On-Time Performance Report, in October Aeroflot completed 89.8% of flights on schedule, ahead of key competitors, and increased punctuality by 0.6 percentage points compared to September. This result was recognised as the best result among the largest carriers in Europe with a volume of flights of more than 30 thousand per month. Also, the air carrier was recognised as the best in punctuality according to the results of work in September this year (89.2% of flights).

This summer, the British OAG agency evaluated the punctuality of the airline at the five-star level: from June 2018 to May 2019 - 84.7% of flights were scheduled. Aeroflot became the only airline from Russia and the largest in Europe in terms of traffic, which received the highest score. It is noteworthy that only 10% of OAG On-Time Performance Star Ratings program participants get the maximum rating.

However, it’s not the first time Aeroflot receives such a high mark - back in 2015, the airline ranked first in the world in terms of punctuality of flights and, on the whole, remained stable in the top three. But due to the rapid growth in traffic volumes (+ 10% per year), at the end of 2017, it lost its position and fell to 26th place.

According to company management, the reason was excessive passenger care - the airline was waiting for late arrivals, delaying departure, and the cabin was overfilled with luggage - employees at the check-in allowed passengers to take on hand luggage in excess of the established norm, and cabin crew could not place it in the cabin.

For any airline company, high punctuality of flights has not only image significance, but also an economic effect - the aircraft turn time is reduced. Due to strict adherence to the schedule, airplanes spend less time on the ground (40-45 minutes) and more in the air (up to 12 hours a day). The more the aircraft flies, the cheaper the flight hour - and, therefore, tickets for passengers.

“And ultimately, it is in the interests of the passenger who always wants to arrive on time. For any of our delays, we get a negative customer review, which is why we see how it is extremely important and want to be in the first place,” says Andrei Panov, Deputy General Director of Aeroflot PJSC for Strategy, Service and Marketing.

Strict control over the observance of existing rules helped to significantly increase the result, among which - strict observance of the boarding time for the flight and the requirements regarding the carriage of baggage and hand luggage. Aeroflot general rules state that passenger check-in ends 40 minutes before departure, boarding ends strictly 20 minutes before the departure of the aircraft. Arriving at the airport is recommended no later than 2 hours before the departure time for compulsory pre-flight procedures and formalities.

“On the one hand, it seems that the rules are quite strict, but on the other hand, those airlines that achieve high positions in punctuality also have rather strict rules. This applies not only to passengers. We began to monitor more how ground services work, how all our contractors work. We began to monitor our schedule much more to reflect the reality of flights,” added Panov.

After the measures taken, Aeroflot returned to the world leader in punctuality in just a year and a half, in 2018 giving way to only KLM, according to the leading British aviation news agency FlightGlobal (FlightStats OPS Awards), which annually evaluates airline data and publishes them in online mode. During 2018, Aeroflot completed 82.98% of flights in accordance with the schedule, and this is one of the best results in the world industry.

Rating FlightStats OPS Awards is the most authoritative and objective in the world. It is based on an analysis of more than 120 thousand flights operated daily. At the same time, both departures and arrivals are monitored in real time, data on which comes from 600 global sources.

Aeroflot's immediate plans include innovations based on the most advanced digital technologies, including the use of biometric control, which will greatly facilitate and speed up the passage of preflight procedures for passengers. The airline claims that it has every chance of becoming a world leader in punctuality according to the results of all of 2019.