Saudi Arabia’s leading airports and airlines demonstrated exceptional on-time performance in September 2025, according to the latest report from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The findings underscore the continuous improvements in efficiency and reliability across the Kingdom’s aviation network, in line with the National Aviation Strategy.
The monthly GACA report, which tracks flights arriving or departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled time, provides transparent data on punctuality to drive service enhancements across the sector.
Top Performing Airports
In the category for international airports handling over 15 million passengers annually, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh ranked first with an on-time performance rate of 87%.
King Fahd International Airport in Dammam led the category for airports serving between 5 and 15 million passengers, achieving a 90% compliance rate.
Other notable performers include:
- Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk: 91% punctuality (2-5 million passenger category).
- AlUla International Airport: An impressive 97% on-time rate (under 2 million passenger category).
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz Airport in Al-Baha: A perfect 100% on-time performance, the highest among all domestic airports.
Flyadeal Leads Airline Punctuality
At the airline level, low-cost carrier flyadeal recorded the strongest metrics, with 93% of its flights departing on time and 91% arriving on schedule.
National carrier Saudia Airlines followed with an 86% on-time departure rate and 89% for arrivals. Flynas recorded 85% for departures and 84% for arrivals, respectively. These figures highlight a broader commitment to operational reliability among Saudi carriers.
The report also identified the most punctual routes, with the domestic Tabuk–Riyadh service achieving a 95% on-time rate. Internationally, the Riyadh–Doha route was the top performer with 94% punctuality.
GACA stated that these results reflect the objectives of the National Aviation Strategy, which aims to establish Saudi Arabia as a premier regional and global aviation hub by elevating operational standards and enhancing the overall passenger experience.
