Asian Airports Most Punctual

Asian Airports have outperformed other regions in the world in terms of punctuality, according to a recent report by Forbes Traveler.

The publication ranked the world's 50 busiest airports based on arrivals and departures – within 15 mins of schedule considered on time.

At Japan's busiest airport, Haneda, more than 93 percent of flights departed within 15 mins of the scheduled time and 87 percent arrived on time.

At sister airport Narita, 86 percent of carriers took off and 82 percent arrived as scheduled.

Australia's oldest and busiest airport, Sydney's Kingsford Smith International, tied in third position with Taiwan Taoyuan International.

Roughly 80 percent of international commercial flights to Sydney arrived and departed on schedule, while 82 percent of flights at Taoyuan took off and 78 percent landed on time.

In the last 18 years around 15 new facilities have opened in Asia, offering improved infrastructure such as more runways, taxiways, aprons and terminal facilities.

The worst performing airport was New York's La Guardia, where not even 60 percent of commercial flights departed on time last year, with an average wait time of 58 mins.

The second worst was Dubai International, where more than ten percent of both arriving and departing commercial flights were tagged 'excessively late'.

By Elizabeth Clifford-Marsh