Not a single airline operating in Pakistan met the mandatory on-time departure requirement in 2026, as flight delays continued to worsen across the country’s aviation sector, a two-year performance report on all carriers has found.
The report shows that just 67.5 percent of flights departed on schedule during the year, which is 12.5 percentage points below the 80 percent minimum set by law.
The figure is also lower than the 68.4 percent recorded in 2025, and it marks a decline of more than five points from 2024, when the five airlines in the country achieved an on-time departure rate of 72.6 percent.
Airlines were also assessed on flight cancellations. In 2024, two of the four airlines covered by that standard met the required benchmark, while the other two fell short.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has begun enforcement against carriers that failed to comply. Airlines are being served show-cause notices and fined for violations.
A delayed or cancelled flight can attract a penalty of up to Rs1 million. The CAA now recovers these fines by deducting them directly from the airlines’ deposit accounts, rather than waiting for payment.
