JEDDAH: Saudi airline Saudia ranked second globally in on-time arrival performance for 2025, according to independent aviation analytics provider Cirium.

The Kingdom’s national flag carrier posted an on-time arrival rate of 86.53 percent across 202,864 flights operated throughout its network, which covers more than 100 destinations across four continents, just behind Mexico’s Aeromexico, which led the ranking with 90.02 percent punctuality on 188,859 flights.

Scandinavian Airlines, the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, was placed third with Brazil’s Azul coming fourth, recording 86.09 percent and 85.18 percent on-time arrivals, respectively.

The ranking is testament to the strength of the Kingdom’s national tourism strategy, which aims to attract 150 million visitors by 2030 and increase the sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product from 6 percent to 10 percent.

Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia Group, said: “This achievement reflects the collective efforts of our teams across planning, operations, and flight management.”

He added that operational efficiency remains a core pillar of Saudia’s strategic plan and is directly linked to the guest experience, with time being a critical element at every stage of the journey.

“Our ability to deliver on this is enabled by strong integration among Saudia Group companies, alongside close coordination with key partners in the Kingdom’s aviation sector,” he said.

In 2024, Saudia topped the list of global airlines in departure on-time performance with a punctuality rate of 88.82 percent, according to new data from Cirium. It also ranked second globally in on-time arrival performance, achieving a rate of 86.35 percent.

Saudia is set for a major fleet expansion, with 116 new aircraft scheduled to join its current fleet of 149. This growth will enable higher flight frequencies, increased seating capacity on existing routes, and the launch of new international destinations.