Saudia (SV) July 2025 Operational Report

Flight Activity Overview

Total arriving flights: 17,787

Year-over-year change: +8.32%

Saudia grew arriving activity to match strong summer demand across Saudi Arabia and wider West Asia. Traffic benefited from leisure travel to coastal cities and steady business flows on regional corridors. Capacity additions on short- and medium-haul routes and schedule densification around evening peaks helped absorb demand. The year-over-year increase also reflects a more stable schedule compared with last year’s summer disruptions in parts of the region.

On-time Performance and Cancellations

On-time arrival rate: 95.92%

Year-over-year change (on-time rate): -0.15%

Cancelled flights: 99

Year-over-year change (cancellations): -53.30%

Punctuality remained very high at 95.92%, even with extreme heat and occasional air traffic flow management measures in busy Gulf airspace. Minor softening versus last year stems from heavier holiday loads and longer taxi-out times at peak hours. Cancellations dropped sharply as the airline deployed spare capacity, tightened aircraft rotation, and added buffer time in ground operations. Improved coordination with airports and ground handlers also reduced knock-on delays from isolated weather events.

Key Hubs

Jeddah (JED) anchors westbound long-haul and pilgrimage flows, while Riyadh (RUH) concentrates government, corporate and growing connecting traffic. Dammam (DMM) supports energy-sector demand and links to South Asia. Across these hubs, the carrier uses wave structures in late evening and early morning to maximize short-haul feed into medium- and long-haul departures, improving minimum connection times and aircraft utilization.

Outlook

For travelers, Saudia offers reliable operations and broad regional connectivity in July’s peak. Expect punctuality to remain high as additional standby crews and contingency aircraft stay in rotation, though midday heat and holiday peaks can lengthen ground times. The airline plans to refine bank structures at JED and RUH, add self-service options, and expand coordination with airports ahead of late-summer and autumn peaks. New seasonal links within West Asia and selective capacity increases on high-demand leisure routes are planned to preserve schedule integrity while accommodating growth.