Pakistani airlines may incur penalties from Saudi Arabian authorities due to ongoing delays in Umrah flights.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia has sent a formal letter to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), highlighting the critical need for timely flight operations.

The letter emphasizes that international regulations require an on-time performance rate of at least 80 percent. However, current statistics show that Pakistani airlines are falling short, with on-time rates ranging from just 37 to 69 percent.

According to the letter, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) achieved a 69 percent on-time rate, while Airblue recorded 65 percent, AirSial 46 percent, Fly Jinnah 43 percent, and Serene Air only 37 percent.

GACA has demanded immediate corrective measures, warning that failure to do so could result in significant fines. The delays have reportedly caused considerable inconvenience for passengers.

The correspondence, authored by the President of GACA, was directed to the Director General of Pakistan’s CAA.