British Airways has delivered its best operational performance for many years and beaten all punctuality targets for July.

On the industry 15-minute standard, punctuality was 75 per cent, 23 points up on last year and the highest July figure for seven years.

On time departures were the best since 2001 and 21 points up on last year, while the July mainline ready to go figure of 49 per cent was the best BA has recorded since records began in 1985.

Mainline on-time and 15-minute performance were also the best since 2001, with on-time performance up 21 points compared to last year and 15-minute performance up 23 points.

While there has been a marked improvement at Heathrow, Gatwick and other stations have also delivered a consistently strong performance.

Head of operational planning and control, Andy Lord, said: “We have worked tirelessly to improve our operational performance and I am delighted to say that the benefits are coming through.

“I would like to thank the teams that have helped us deliver these figures. However, it is absolutely crucial that we remain focused to ensure that we maintain these levels of performance throughout the busy summer period and beyond, continuing to deliver the level of service our customers expect and deserve..”