The world’s top 15 low-cost airlines, snapshot 2025

Skytrax’s latest customer poll (July 2024) and the 2024 Cirium punctuality tables together spotlight 15 carriers that manage to be both cheap and reliably on‑time.

This cheat‑sheet allows you to compare fleet muscle, network reach and — crucially — their on‑time‑performance (OTP) bragging rights, based on industry data.

Founded in 1993 and reborn in 2001 under Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s 255‑strong Airbus fleet stretches across hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta, linking 166 destinations. Skytrax’s reigning low‑cost champion chalks an on‑time arrival rate near 77 percent via Thai AirAsia in Cirium’s 2024 tables. Aggressive digitisation keeps turnaround times tight across Asia‑Pacific skies daily.

Singapore Airlines’ long‑haul offshoot, Scoot, launched in 2012 and now fields 55 jets—Dreamliners, A320neos, and Embraer E2s—from its Changi hub to 68 cities. Internal reports put 2024 punctuality around 79 percent despite rapid expansion. Next year’s 14–16 new aircraft aim to lift capacity while keeping its “Escape the Ordinary” efficiency intact, courting global leisure traffic. 

India’s 2005‑born IndiGo operates 413 aircraft out of Delhi plus six other bases, touching 127 destinations. Cirium’s 2023 data ranked it Asia‑Pacific’s fourth most‑punctual airline at 82.1 percent. Record 2,200 daily flights reflect lean, single‑aisle consistency, while massive Airbus orders and new codeshares push growth without sacrificing that hard‑won timeliness and obsessive six‑minute turnaround culture. 

Lufthansa’s value carrier dates to 1993; today about 100 Airbus jets fly from eight German bases and Palma de Mallorca. A Q1 2025 release boasted 85 percent on‑time arrivals and 98 percent regularity across 27,000 flights. Neo deliveries and a looming 737 MAX order underpin plans to sharpen leisure‑market punctuality, and Mallorca late‑summer charters.

Launched in 2004, Barcelona‑based Vueling runs 136 all‑Airbus aircraft from multi‑country bases to 99 destinations. Cirium’s 2024 ranking logged 81.2 percent on‑time arrivals, placing it fifth among global low‑cost carriers. Fleet densification with A321neos and potential 737 MAX swaps seek to improve cost per seat while holding OTP above 80 percent across sun‑seeking Mediterranean markets, as per AeroTime.

Founded 2011 by Vueling alumni, Volotea flies 45 A319/A320s from 20 regional European bases to 110 airports. Flightright’s 2024 report listed it among Europe’s most punctual carriers. Skytrax voters made it world’s No. 3 LCC, rewarding a 90‑plus percent completion rate and nimble point‑to‑point scheduling, plus leather‑seat cabin makeovers coming soon, reports Cinco Dias.

KLM’s low‑cost arm traces roots to 1966 but reinvented itself post‑2000s. Its Amsterdam‑Eindhoven‑Rotterdam triangle dispatches 47 Boeing 737s to 96 holiday spots. Skytrax ranks Transavia France fifth worldwide, and Flightright noted zero cancellations in Spain’s busy 2024 summer. Historical OTP hovers around 80 percent, aided by quick gate‑to‑gate cycles backed by Air France‑KLM sustainability drives.

Since 2012 Iberia Express has honed a 25‑jet A320 family fleet out of Madrid. It has hit a punctuality rate of ~84.7%, leading global low-cost carriers from hits Madrid‑Barajas hub. The IAG subsidiary runs a fleet of ~25 Airbus A320 .Cirium crowned it 2024’s most‑punctual low‑cost airline at 84.69 percent, thanks to a 99.5 percent completion factor. Tight integration with Iberia’s long‑haul bank lets the subsidiary feed intercontinental waves while flaunting Europe’s benchmark reliability and green fuel trials this summer.

Saudi Arabia’s pioneer LCC, Flynas, began in 2007. Sixty‑one A320‑family aircraft connect Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah to 88 destinations, averaging 1,500 weekly flights. Investor filings show OTP improving to 88% for the first nine months of 2024, even amid fleet expansion aligned with Vision 2030 ambitions, plus smart biometric boarding rolled nationwide recently.

Established 1995, easyJet’s orange‑tailed 347‑aircraft network spans 30 bases, with Gatwick the largest, serving 153 airports. OAG data put on‑time arrivals at 66 percent in 2022, trending upward through 2024 despite French ATC chaos. It logged fewer Spanish cancellations than most peers. CEO Johan Lundgren touts AI slot‑swap tools to boost resilience, plus massive 299‑jet neo orderbook.

Gol has punctuality rate of  ~84.1% on‑time arrival. The low cost carrier operates out of its São Paulo–Guarulhos hub. With its fleet: ~137 Boeing 737s, it has been building an extensive domestic Brazilian coverage, plus regional Latin America connections under Abrã Group.

Allegiant has an punctuality rate of ~79.3% and operates out of its hub in Las Vegas, Orlando Sanford. Wit its fleet or ~128 Airbus A320 family + 737 MAX 8‑200, it has a network of leisure‑focused US point‑to‑point operations connecting secondary cities, as per AeroTime.

Norwegian has an OTP record of ~79.2% and operates from its Oslo Gardermoen hub. With its fleet of ~81 Boeing 737s (short/medium-haul refocus), it covers a wide network, with European core routes after a long-haul exit, as per the Wall Street Journal. Skytrax has recognised Norwegian as a "4-Star Low-Cost Airline" for its onboard product, staff service, and airport experience. They've also been named "World's Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline" and "Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe" by Skytrax. 

Flydubai's on-time performance (OTP) is reasonably solid for a low-cost carrier, with around 77.7% of flights arriving on time (within 15 minutes of the scheduled time). The airline has expanded its network to 120 destinations across 52 countries, opening over 75 new routes that previously lacked direct air links to Dubai or were not served by a UAE national carrier. The airline operates approximately 1,400 flights per week, with a punctuality rate that is generally better than the Western average and has a low cancellation rate, per flyin.com.

Peach Aviation has an OTP rate of ~82.3%, as per Cirium. It operates from hit hub in Osaka‑Kansai. The LCC has a fleet of ~36 Airbus A320s under ANA synergy. It flies to Japan–Asia short/medium‑haul routes, leveraging ANA's operational reach.

Fleet commonality keeps maintenance bills low; multi‑hub footprints diversify revenue; but OTP is the acid test of operational maturity. Miss it too often and digital reputations crash faster than fares can fall.

Together these carriers prove low‑cost no longer means low‑ambition. They’re investing in new‑tech airframes, AI‑driven crew rostering and greener fuels while chasing sub‑15‑minute turnarounds.

Expect merger whispers, bolder long‑haul experiments and even higher punctuality bars before Skytrax hands out its 2025 trophies — competition, like fares, is only getting sharper.