Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier flyadeal achieved the highest punctuality rate among all Middle East airlines in May, capturing the second position across the combined Middle East and Africa region.

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium showed the subsidiary of Saudia Group (SV) recorded a 93.37% on-time arrival rate and a 95.61% on-time departure rate. The operational benchmarks were established across a total of 5,449 flights during a peak period of regional airspace and network demand driven by seasonal religious travel.

The punctuality results indicate high operational asset use for the all-narrowbody operator during the dual pressures of the 1447H Hajj pilgrimage season and additional scheduled frequencies for the Eid Al-Adha holiday. Securing high reliability under dense airport traffic environments directly mitigates the compounding cost penalties associated with crew out-of-hours block times, ad-hoc airport ground handling delays, and irregular maintenance scheduling. Minimising cascading delays remains critical for the budget sector to protect thin unit margins and contain station costs.

“Achieving these results during one of the busiest operational periods of the year, coinciding with the 1447H Hajj season, the arrival of pilgrims from several countries, and the operation of additional flights during the Eid Al-Adha holiday, reflects flyadeal’s operational efficiency and its ability to maintain on-time performance while continuing to offer competitive fares to passengers,” said Captain Abdulaziz Bahri, flyadeal’s chief operating officer.