See where the SLC airport ranks among on-time airports worldwide

Travelers hoping to skip town or head back home on schedule have a pretty good shot at making it happen at Salt Lake City International Airport.

That’s according to a study released this month by aviation analytics firm Cirium that showed the Salt Lake City airport ranked first in North America and third worldwide in on-time service for 2022.

“Based on lack of flight cancellations and delays, Salt Lake City International Airport is a world-leading airport,” airport Executive Director Bill Wyatt said in a statement. “Despite, or maybe because of, regular weather challenges here in Salt Lake, our snow-fighting team is world-class. For traveling families, delay and cancellation can be particularly difficult, and we’re focused on making that as rare as possible.”

In Utah’s capital, nearly 84% of flights last year left on schedule, while arriving flights were on time nearly 85% of the time.

Only Haneda Airport in Japan (at No. 1) and Kempegowda International Airport in India (No. 2) ranked higher.

The high marks for Salt Lake City are uplifting news for airport officials amid a difficult few weeks for the aviation industry.

Last month, a meltdown in holiday-season travel left thousands of passengers with delayed and canceled flights. Salt Lake City fared better than most but still experienced disruptions. And last week, a Federal Aviation Administration computer outage forced disruptions at airports nationwide.

Delta Air Lines, the only hub carrier in Salt Lake City, soared to the top of Cirium’s list of best-performing airlines, capturing what the firm calls the “Platinum Award” for the second consecutive year. The firm analyzed on-time performance, operational complexity and the carrier’s ability to limit disruption to passengers.

According to the report, nearly 84% of Delta flights worldwide in 2022 arrived on time. The carrier is responsible for about 70% of outbound flights in Utah’s capital.

“The care and commitment of Delta people across our diverse, global operation helped secure this recognition again as the industry leader,” John Laughter, Delta executive vice president and chief of operations, said in a news release. “We ran the most on-time airline during a challenging year of rebuilding and made improvements that will allow us to climb even higher this year.”

Last month, Delta deepened its roots in the Beehive State after it finalized a deal to maintain its Salt Lake City hub until at least mid-2044. Airport officials have said the company also intends to build a training facility in Utah that will serve pilots and crew members.