Riyadh Airport Tops Saudi On-Time Performance Rankings in April: GACA Data

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport recorded the highest on-time departure rate among the Kingdom’s international airports in April, achieving 90 percent punctuality, official data showed.  

According to the monthly report published by the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Riyadh-based hub outperformed larger airports such as Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International, the Saudi Press Agency reported. 

The report comes as Saudi Arabia continues to push operational upgrades under its National Aviation Strategy, part of the broader Vision 2030 plan to position the Kingdom as a regional air transit hub. 

“The report issued in April 2025 indicated that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Abha International Airport, Neom International Airport, Turaif Airport, and Wadi Al-Dawasir Airport topped the advanced positions in the report,” the SPA report stated. 

The rankings are based on data compiled by Matarat Holding Co. and exclude canceled flights. Performance is measured by flights departing or arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled times. 

In the category of international airports handling more than 15 million passengers annually, the Jeddah-based King Abdulaziz International Airport recorded a punctuality rate of 78 percent, according to the study.  

For international airports serving between 5 million and 15 million passengers annually, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam secured the highest ranking with an on-time performance of 87 percent. Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, which also falls under this category, recorded a 72 percent rate. 

In the segment of international airports accommodating between 2 million and 5 million passengers annually, Abha International Airport posted the highest punctuality rate at 91 percent. 

This was followed by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jizan with 90 percent, and Tabuk Airport with 82 percent. 

NEOM Bay International Airport led among international airports with fewer than 2 million passengers annually, achieving a 95 percent on-time departure rate. Other strong performers in this category included Al-Ahsa International Airport at 93 percent and Najran Airport at 89 percent. 

Turaif and Wadi Al-Dawasir airports recorded perfect performance among domestic flight hubs, achieving 100 percent on-time departures. King Saud bin Abdulaziz Airport in Al-Baha followed closely with 99 percent, while Bisha Airport posted 94 percent. 

At the airline level, national flag carrier Saudia reported an 89 percent on-time rate for arrivals and departures. Meanwhile, flynas achieved 86 percent for arrivals and 91 percent for departures, while flyadeal recorded 87 percent and 91 percent, respectively. 

Regarding specific flight routes, the Riyadh–Abha domestic passage maintained a strong on-time departure rate of 96 percent. Other high-performing domestic routes included Riyadh–Tabuk and Riyadh–Dammam, both at 96 percent, while the Jizan–Riyadh route sustained its previous month’s rate of 95 percent. 

Internationally, the Riyadh–Amman route recorded the highest on-time performance at 97 percent, followed by Riyadh–Bahrain at 94 percent, Riyadh–Dubai at 93 percent, and Riyadh–Kuwait at 92 percent. The Jeddah–Amman route also achieved a 94 percent punctuality rate.