GACA July 2025 Index: Saudia Tops Airline Rankings, Riyadh Airport Leads In Passenger Satisfaction

Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulator has dropped its July 2025 report card, and a couple of names have clearly stolen the show. Saudia, the national airline, and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport both walked away with top marks in the General Authority of Civil Aviation’s (GACA) monthly index.

Saudia Airlines And Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport Top GACA’s July Rankings

مؤشر تصنيف مقدمي خدمات النقل الجوي والمطارات وفقاً لعدد الشكاوى المرفوعة من المسافرين خلال شهر يوليو 2025.

⁧#الطيران_المدني pic.twitter.com/bzBCxWsaS4

— هيئة الطيران المدني (@ksagaca) September 3, 2025

Almost 2,000 complaints were filed by passengers in July. Sounds hefty, but with millions of people flying across the Kingdom, it’s a manageable figure. What counts is how airlines and airports handled them.

Saudia Edges Out Rivals

Saudia Airlines ranked first with the lowest number of complaints at 31 for every 100,000 passengers. Not spotless, but respectable. Even better, 98 per cent of those cases were closed. For a flag carrier under constant scrutiny, that’s not a bad month.

Flynas recorded 36 complaints per 100,000 travellers. But it managed a 100 per cent resolution rate. Everything filed was fixed. Same story with Flyadeal, which came third: 40 complaints, all resolved. So yes, the budget players are proving they can keep pace on service, not just price.

And the common triggers? Flights, baggage and tickets. Hardly surprising.

Riyadh Airport Leads The Pack

Switching to airports, King Khalid International in Riyadh pulled off something rare. Among the busiest hubs, it only logged 23 complaints, and every one of them was settled in time. That gave it the crown for airports handling more than six million passengers.

Smaller hubs weren’t exactly slacking. Taif International had just three complaints for the whole month, all sorted. Over in the domestic category, King Saud Airport topped the list with two complaints. Again, both closed. It’s the kind of clean sheet any airport manager would happily frame on the office wall.

Why this matters

You might shrug at rankings, but GACA isn’t putting these out just for fun. Service guidelines have been circulated to airport partners, and airline staff are being trained on passenger rights. Small moves, but ones designed to chip away at the most common frustrations.

Let’s be honest: no aviation sector is ever free from complaints. Delays happen. Bags get lost. Ticketing glitches creep in. It’s the response that separates the decent from the dreadful. July’s figures suggest Saudi operators, by and large, are leaning towards the decent end.

Also Read: Saudia Passenger Restrained After Trying To Open Flight Door At Heathrow Airport, London

The bigger picture

So, what’s the takeaway for passengers? Saudia is still the safest bet if you care about complaint volume, while Flynas and Flyadeal deserve credit for closing cases fast. On the ground, Riyadh’s King Khalid looks like a solid hub, and smaller airports like Taif and King Saud are punching well above their weight.

Cover Image Courtesy: Saudia Airlines/Website