South African Airways (SAA) is now the most punctual airline in Africa, having overtaken Kenya Airways (KQ) and Ethiopian Airlines (ET) in on-time arrivals, underscoring how aircraft groundings and global parts shortages have disrupted operations at some of the continent’s largest carriers.
Flight records show that the South African flag carrier emerged as Africa’s most punctual airline in 2025, despite operating a significantly smaller fleet and route network than its East African rivals.
