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EL Al ranked first in flight delays but airlines' are getting better

ISRAEL's El Al has emerged as the worst performing international airline in terms of on-time performance in 2016, according to a list compiled by aviation insights company FlightStats, which tracks delay and cancellation patterns for airlines across the globe.

Out the FlightStats 'Worst 10 International Airlines of 2016' list, El Al topped the rankings with a 56 per cent chance of a flight delay. Icelandair came in second place with 41.05 per cent, followed by Air India with a 38.71 per cent, reports Bloomberg.

In fourth place came Philippine Airlines with 38.33 per cent, in fifth place is Asiana Airlines with 37.46 per cent; in sixth place is China Eastern Airlines with 35.8 per cent; seventh Hong Kong Airlines with 33.42 per cent; eighth Air China with 32.73 per cent; ninth Korean Air with 31.74 per cent; and tenth Hainan Airlines with 30.3 per cent.

In terms of the 'Best 10 International Airlines of 2016' KLM took the number one spot with a 11.47 per cent chance of a delay; in second place is Iberia with 11.82 per cent; third JAL with 12.2 per cent; fourth Qatar Airways with 13.66 per cent; and in fifth place came Austrian with 14.26 per cent.

Said FlightStats vice president Jim Hetzel: "We stitch data together from 500 different sources. All of these pieces come in different formats, all with different elements of value, and a lot of times the sources don't agree."

Among those sources are flight-tracking and positional services, airport runway times, radar services, airline records, airport data, and such governing bodies as Eurocontrol and the US Federal Aviation Administration. "All of these pieces come in different formats, all with different elements of value, and a lot of times the sources don't agree," he said.

As for this year's results, Mr Hetzel says they're the best numbers yet. "I'm seeing a big improvement in overall performance across the board as the industry becomes more and more competitive," he said.