A new report says the nation’s two largest airlines ranked last for on-time performance among major North American carriers last month.

Aviation data firm Cirium says nearly 28 per cent of Air Canada’s flights, or more than 8,700, landed late in October, placing the company ninth out of 10 airlines on the continent.

The report reveals that WestJet comes in last place with almost 29% of landings delayed, more than 15 minutes after scheduled arrival.

Both airlines’ on-time performance percentage of just over 70% is well below the North American average of 80% – itself the lowest of any region in the world – while Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines all ranked above 85%.

Still, Air Canada’s result marks an improvement over its 68% result from the previous month.

In the past, Air Canada has cited a shortage of air traffic controllers, bad weather and a network operating at full capacity amid high demand, which can lead to longer recovery times after a disruption, to justify its delays.