Virgin Australia leads major Australian airlines with highest on-time performance, lowest cancellations in January

Virgin Australia has delivered best-in-class operational performance in January, leading Australia’s major airlines on both on-time performance and flight completion metrics, according to new data from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE).[3]

The data, based on scheduled domestic flights, shows Virgin Australia achieved an 82.7% on-time departure rate in January, building on strong December results with an improvement of 8.2 percentage points month-on-month.

After posting the highest average completion rate of the major Australian airlines in 2025, Virgin Australia maintained its reliability in January with a 99.1% completion rate, demonstrating consistent operational performance during the busy peak summer travel period.

Virgin Australia CEO Dave Emerson said the January results reflect the dedication and teamwork of Virgin Australia’s people across every part of the operation.

“After a strong finish to the year in December, our team raised the bar yet again in January,” Mr Emerson said.

“Summer is one of the most important times of the year for our guests. Millions of travellers rely on us to reconnect with loved ones or take a well-earned break, and we’re incredibly grateful for their trust.

“Leading the major Australian airlines in January with the highest departure on-time performance and the lowest cancellations is a testament to the efforts of our people across the entire operation.

“We know how important it is to get our guests to their destination on their desired day of travel, and with fewer than 1% of scheduled domestic flights cancelled during one of our busiest months, our results show we are consistently delivering on that commitment.

“We will keep focusing on delivering a reliable experience and the choice and value Australians expect whenever they fly with us,” he said.

Over the past 12 months, Virgin Australia has recorded an average completion rate of 98.3% and an average departure on-time performance of 77.6% for its scheduled domestic flights. [4]

MEDIA CONTACT

Virgin Australia Group Corporate Affairs: corporateaffairs@virginaustralia.com or 1800 142 467.

NOTES TO EDITOR

[1] Major Australian airlines include Virgin Australia, Qantas, and Jetstar.

[2] Flight completion refers to the percentage of scheduled domestic flights completed.

[3] Source: BITRE

[4] Refers to 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2026.