Chinese Airports Have the World's Worst On-Time Record

Travel industry monitor FlightStats has reported that Chinese airports have the worst flight delays in the world. The figures reveal that in June 2013, out of a worldwide analysis, Beijing and Shanghai airports came last for on-time arrivals and departures. They had a dismal record for on-time flights– 18.3 and 28.7 percent respectively.

Istanbul, the Turkish capital, rounded off the worst three airports worldwide for delays with an on-time record of just 38 percent. Airports in Paris and Rome made up the worst five. 58.7 percent of flights were on-time at Charles de Gaulle in Paris, while Fiumicino airport in Rome fared slightly better with an on-time record of 59.5 percent.

Four American airports are present in the list of the world’s top ten worst airports for delays – Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Newark and John F. Kennedy in New York. Together with Hong Kong in seventh place, these airports all have an on-time record of between 63 and 66 percent.

FlightStats gave no reason for Beijing and Shanghai’s woeful delays. However, Chinese industry analysts have attributed the problems to commercial airline growth outstripping the country’s airports. Additionally, some blamed a very high level of civilian air traffic in airspace where an 80 percent of its total volume is restricted to military use.