King Khalid International Airport (RUH), positioned 35 kilometers north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has established itself as a global benchmark for airport operational excellence. In Cirium’s 2024 On-Time Performance Awards, RUH was recognized as the Most On-Time Global Airport, achieving an industry-leading departure OTP rate of 86.65%—a distinction that places the airport at the forefront of global aviation performance standards.

In 2024, the airport handled a record-breaking 37 million passengers with double-digit year-on-year growth, added 15 new airlines to its roster and recognized as the second busiest airport in the Kingdom. These results demonstrate effective integration of infrastructure, planning, and process optimization across increasing passenger volumes.

Leadership Driving Transformation

Under the stewardship of CEO Ayman Abdulaziz AboAbah, who was appointed in February 2024, Riyadh Airports Company has accelerated its operational excellence initiatives. Mr. AboAbah brings extensive aviation sector experience, having previously served as CEO of Jeddah Airports where he enhanced planning and operations at King Abdulaziz International Airport. His tenure has coincided with RUH’s ascent to global recognition, reflecting strategic focus on operational discipline and systematic performance improvement.

The leadership team’s commitment to excellence has resulted in exceeding revenue targets by over 15%, with enhanced offerings, stronger partnerships, and significant increases in passenger movements, according to industry reports. This performance underscores the airport’s evolution from regional gateway to emerging global hub.

Operational Resilience Through Strategic Infrastructure

RUH’s performance reflects purposeful modernization strategies implemented over several years. The expansion of Terminals 1 and 2 increased the airport’s passenger handling capacity by 40% — from 10 million to 14 million annually. By upgrading baggage handling, adding security lanes, and introducing automation like self-service kiosks and automated boarding gates, the airport has cut processing times per passenger and unlocked higher throughput.

The 2022 commissioning of Terminals 3 and 4 marked a decisive step in RUH’s evolution. Terminal 3’s reconfiguration from domestic to international operations represents an important strategic shift to accommodate long-haul growth. A centralized check-in system now serves both terminals, allowing flexible resource utilization and enhanced operational fluidity. These terminal linkages, combined with renewed airside control infrastructure, have streamlined aircraft movements and reduced turnaround times—key enablers of on-time departures.

The airport’s connectivity received another boost with the opening of Riyadh Metro Line 4 on December 1, 2024, providing passengers with efficient access to the city center through stations serving all terminal complexes.

Strategic Alignment with National Objectives

RUH’s growth is tightly linked to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, supporting Riyadh’s emergence as a global hub for business and tourism. Backed by GACA and managed by Riyadh Airports Company, its development roadmap ensures infrastructure expansion matches the pace of rising traffic and future demand—positioning RUH as a cornerstone of national connectivity.

The on-time performance gains reflect systematic operational improvements rather than statistical outliers. Enhancements to landside and airside coordination, expansion of aircraft parking bays, and deployment of real-time operational control technologies are part of a disciplined approach to minimize delays and improve predictability across the passenger journey.

Data Standards and Industry Recognition

Cirium’s On-Time Performance program serves as the gold standard for measuring airline and airport operational performance, using rigorous methodology that combines global flight tracking with airport-level operational data. On-time flights at airports are defined as those departing within 15 minutes of scheduled departure times. RUH’s recognition within this program reflects not only punctuality but consistency—demonstrating reliable performance across a complex operational environment.

The achievement underscores a broader transformation taking place across the Kingdom’s aviation sector—one that extends well beyond operational metrics to fundamental shifts in how airports can function as economic catalysts.

From Regional Gateway to Global Hub

Since opening in 1983, King Khalid International Airport (RUH) has evolved from a regional gateway to a critical global node. The transformation required infrastructure investment, operational discipline, and leadership vision working in concert.

Today, King Khalid International Airport (RUH) stands as one of the world’s most efficient large airports—a working model for how airports can excel amid rising expectations and traffic complexity. In an industry where timing defines competitive advantage, RUH’s four decades of strategic evolution positions it as an essential component of Saudi Arabia’s aviation future, proving that systematic operational excellence achieves results that resonate across global performance benchmarks.