Pakistani airlines are under serious scrutiny as Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has issued a strong warning regarding repeated delays in Umrah flights. The Saudi aviation body has written directly to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), stressing that immediate improvements are required or heavy financial penalties will follow.
According to the official letter, international regulations require at least 80% on-time flight performance. Unfortunately, the punctuality rate of Pakistani airlines is far below the standard, currently ranging between just 37% and 69%.
Performance statistics reveal that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) achieved 69% on-time operations, Airblue recorded 65%, AirSial 46%, Fly Jinnah 43%, and Serene Air fell to a worrying 37%.
GACA highlighted that such delays have caused severe inconvenience for thousands of Umrah passengers, urging Pakistan’s aviation sector to rectify the situation immediately to avoid strict fines. The warning comes at a time when smooth travel operations are essential, especially for religious pilgrims.
The letter was personally signed by the President of GACA and addressed to the Director General of Pakistan’s CAA, reflecting the seriousness of the issue
It is important to note that this year, 1,673,230 pilgrims performed Hajj, including 1,506,576 international pilgrims from 171 countries. Saudi Arabia also recorded 166,654 domestic pilgrims, with one of the most balanced gender ratios in Hajj history—877,841 men and 795,389 women.
The growing concern over Pakistani airlines Umrah flight delays underscores the urgent need for the aviation industry to take corrective action before stricter measures are enforced by Saudi authorities.
