NEW YORK — FlightGlobal has once again released its list of the World’s Most On-Time Airlines, and for the first time in nine years a U.S. airline has found itself at the top of the list.

Delta Air Lines was ranked #1 among mainline carriers, with 85.94% of flights arriving within 14 minutes of their scheduled arrival times. Delta was also recognized as North America’s most on-time major carrier, a title that takes into account the Delta Connection regional operation. FlightGlobal’s FlightStats reports that Delta, together with its regional partners, saw 84.06% of flights arrive on time in 2017, based on FlightStats’ analysis of flight status and arrival data pulled from over 600 global sources and data feeds.

“We are extremely proud of what Delta employees have been able to accomplish in service to our customers to drive a safe and reliable global operation,” said Gil West, Delta’s Executive Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “The results reported by FlightStats are humbling and yet another proof point that Delta employees worldwide are redefining operational excellence. Hats off to all Delta employees who come to work every day looking for ways to make meaningful improvements to the airline and continue to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.”

Delta flies more than 180 million customers annually on approximately 5,000 daily mainline and Delta Connection flights. The airline achieved its strong operational performance in 2017 despite a string of hurricanes in the U.S. and Caribbean, and a snowstorm at Delta’s largest hub in Atlanta in December. Still Delta recorded several company bests, including a record 242 days in 2017 without a mainline flight cancellation and 90 days in which mainline and Delta Connection were cancel-free.