News

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) today launched its monthly report tracking airport and national carrier flight punctuality, measuring arrivals and departures within a 15-minute window of scheduled times.

The report offers passengers transparent insights into airline and airport scheduling compliance, with the aim of improving service quality, raising standards and heightening the overall passenger experience.

Eng. Abdulaziz Aldahmash, Executive Vice President, Quality and Customer Experience at GACA, stated that the punctuality tracking report supplements existing monthly performance evaluations of airports and airlines' service quality. He emphasized that this new initiative demonstrates GACA's commitment as a regulatory authority that puts passengers first while promoting ongoing enhancement of the Kingdom's aviation sector.

The first edition of the report indicates that Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport, Jazan’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport, NEOM Bay International Airport, and Sharurah Airport all achieved leading positions.

The report divides airports into five categories, with King Khalid International Airport ranking first in the category of international airports serving over 15 million passengers annually, achieving an 81% compliance rate.

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam ranked number one in the category of international airports serving 5-15 million passengers annually, with 81% compliance.

In the category of international airports serving 2-5 million passengers annually, Jazan’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport attained first place, at 91% compliance.

NEOM Bay International Airport was awarded pole position in the category of international airports serving less than two million passengers annually, with 97% compliance, while Sharurah Airport topped the fifth category for domestic airports, hitting 97% compliance.

Among national carriers, Saudia led the rankings with 86% on-time arrival rate and 88% on-time departures. Flynas achieved compliance rates of 71% for arrivals and 75% for departures, and flyadeal maintained 80% for arrivals and 83% for departures.

The report also spotlights top-performing routes, with the domestic Abha-Jeddah service recording 95% on-time performance, and the international Dammam-Dubai route leading at 93% compliance.

These latest GACA initiatives contribute to Saudi Arabia’s National Aviation Strategy, which aims to establish the Kingdom as a leading regional aviation hub via continuous boosting of operational standards, efficiency and passenger service.