Saudi Flight Delay Compensation for Pakistanis: GACA Rules on Delays, Cancellations and Lost Bags
Saudi GACA rules cover every flight leaving Saudi Arabia: 50 or 150 SDR for delays, up to 150% for cancellations and 1,288 SDR for lost bags. How to claim it.
If your flight home from Jeddah, Riyadh, Madinah or Dammam to Pakistan is delayed, Saudi Arabia's passenger rules entitle you to compensation of 50 Special Drawing Rights for a 3 to 6 hour delay and 150 for more than 6 hours, on any airline, Pakistani or foreign. A delay of more than 2 hours lets you cancel for a full refund with no fees deducted. Past 5 hours, you can treat the flight as cancelled, which brings bigger payouts.
These are the Passenger Rights Protection Regulations of Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). They apply to every flight that departs a Saudi airport, which covers Pakistani airlines such as PIA, AirSial and Fly Jinnah as well as the Saudi carriers. We read the English translation that AirSial publishes as its KSA passenger rights document on 28 October 2026. The translation notes that the Arabic text governs.
Every flight leaving Saudi Arabia is covered, whichever airline flies it
Article Three applies the rules to all flights departing any Saudi airport, national or foreign carrier. Flights into Saudi Arabia are covered only on a Saudi carrier, and then only if you were not already compensated under the departure country's rules.
For a Pakistani pilgrim, that means the return leg of an Umrah trip this season is the one with the strongest protection. The outbound flight from Pakistan falls under Pakistan's own rules, set out under flight delay and cancellation compensation in Pakistan. Package tours are covered for the air travel part only.
The amounts are in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), a unit set by the International Monetary Fund from a basket of major currencies. The airline pays the equivalent in money. Its value in riyals or rupees changes daily, so we give the SDR figures as the regulation states them and do not convert them.
Delays: refreshments from the first hour, a hotel after 6 hours
The airline must tell you about a delay at least 45 minutes before take-off and update you every 30 minutes. Care starts early: drinks and refreshments from the first hour, a meal after 3 hours, and a hotel with transport after 6 hours.
| What happened | What you are owed under GACA rules |
|---|---|
| Delay of more than 2 hours | Right to cancel and get a full ticket refund, no fees deducted |
| Arrival 3 to 6 hours late | 50 SDR |
| Arrival more than 6 hours late | 150 SDR |
| Delay of more than 5 hours | Right to treat the flight as cancelled |
| No refreshments given | 10 SDR |
| No meal after 3 hours | 30 SDR |
| No hotel and transport after 6 hours | 100 SDR |
Delay compensation is based on your actual arrival time against the time on your booking, not the departure time. Stuck on the tarmac? After 3 hours the airline must offer to let you off the plane, unless safety rules prevent it.
Cancellation pays up to 150% when you are told late
Article Twelve ties cancellation compensation to how much notice you got. Told 60 to 14 days ahead, you get a refund plus 50% of the unused flight's value. Told 14 days to 24 hours ahead, 75%. Told within 24 hours of departure, 150%.
- Accept another flight: no cancellation compensation, but the delay rules apply to the time difference.
- Refuse the alternative: the whole ticket is refunded, including seat and baggage fees.
- Discount ticket: compensation is worked out on the highest fare of the class you booked.
- Denied boarding for overbooking: a refund of the unused part plus 200% of its value, unless the airline flies you within 2 hours.
- Downgraded: the fare difference plus 50% of it.
Some passengers cannot be bumped at all for overbooking: people with disabilities, special needs passengers, first-degree relatives travelling together with their domestic workers, unaccompanied children and travel groups. An Umrah group booked and travelling together may count as a travel group, so ask the airline before accepting a bump.
Late or lost bags earn up to 1,288 SDR
Article Fifteen sets baggage payouts. A bag that arrives late earns 148 SDR for the first day and 60 SDR for each later day, capped at 1,288 SDR. A lost bag earns 1,288 SDR. A damaged bag earns up to 1,288 SDR.
If a checked bag has not arrived within 21 days, you can ask the airline to treat it as lost. Each piece counts separately, including excess baggage. Carrying something valuable, like gold jewellery? Declare it on the airline's form before check-in, or the standard caps apply.
File a report at the arrival airport in Pakistan before you leave the baggage hall. The steps are the same ones used to claim lost baggage in Pakistan, and the GACA amounts are what you cite when the bag left from a Saudi airport.
How to claim, and when the airline can refuse
The airline must pay refunds and compensation within 15 days of the incident, by the same method you used to buy the ticket. Start with the airline. GACA's Passenger Rights Protection Department receives complaints within the scope of these rules.
- Keep your boarding pass, booking and any delay messages.
- Note the actual arrival time at the Pakistani airport.
- Write to the airline's customer service citing the GACA Passenger Rights Protection Regulations and the article.
- Ask for the payment by the original payment method.
- If 15 days pass without a fair answer, complain to GACA's Passenger Rights Protection Department.
Force majeure is the main exception. The airline is exempt from compensation in a genuine force majeure event confirmed by GACA reports. But it cannot claim force majeure for a technical fault, scheduling or its own staff's errors. And in force majeure lasting more than 6 hours on an international flight, you can still cancel for a full refund.
Common questions
Does PIA have to follow Saudi delay compensation rules?
Yes, on flights departing Saudi airports. GACA's rules apply to all flights leaving Saudi Arabia, national or foreign carrier.
How much is the compensation for a 4 hour delay from Jeddah?
50 Special Drawing Rights, because the arrival was between 3 and 6 hours late. Over 6 hours late, it is 150 SDR.
Can I get a full refund if my Saudi flight is delayed?
Yes, if the delay is more than 2 hours. The rules say the full ticket price is refunded with no fees deducted.
What do I get if my flight from Saudi Arabia is cancelled the same day?
A refund plus 150% of the unused flight's value, if you were told within 24 hours of departure and refused the alternative.
How long does the airline have to pay?
15 days from the incident, by the same payment method used to buy the ticket.
Do the rules cover my flight from Pakistan to Jeddah?
Only if a Saudi airline flies it, and only if you were not compensated under Pakistan's rules. Otherwise Pakistan's rules apply.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 28 October 2026. We read the English translation of GACA's Passenger Rights Protection Regulations published by AirSial at airsial.com on that date, in particular Articles Three, Ten to Fifteen, Seventeen, Twenty, Twenty-One and Twenty-Three. The translation says the Arabic text governs. We did not read GACA's own website, so we cannot confirm this is the latest amended version, and we do not give a GACA complaint address. SDR amounts are not converted because their value changes daily.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
