Fly Jinnah opens Karachi to Riyadh: first flight left with 146 passengers

Fly Jinnah flew its first direct Karachi to Riyadh service on Friday night, 18 September 2026, carrying 146 passengers. Riyadh becomes the airline's third Saudi destination after Jeddah and Dammam.

Why Riyadh and not just Jeddah

Jeddah traffic from Pakistan is dominated by Umrah and Hajj. Riyadh is where the jobs are. The Saudi capital and the wider central region hold a large share of the Pakistani workforce in construction, logistics, healthcare and retail, and until now most of them connected through Jeddah, Dammam or a Gulf hub to get home to Karachi.

A direct service removes a connection from that journey. On a route flown several times a year by a worker on a family visit, that is the difference between a day of travel and half a day.

What has not been published

The airline has not put out the weekly frequency, the days of operation, the aircraft type or a starting fare with this announcement. Until it does, the only reliable place to check schedule and price is the airline's own booking page. Treat any fare figure circulating on social media as unverified.

The money side

The riyal is Rs 73.93 today, against Rs 73.94 yesterday. The rate has been flat all week, which matters more to a worker in Riyadh than any single day's move: a stable rate means the monthly transfer home lands where you budgeted it.

A worker earning SAR 3,000 a month is sending home roughly Rs 221,790 at today's rate before transfer costs. Those costs are where the money actually leaks. Our guide on the cheapest way to send money to Pakistan sets out which channels charge what, and the currency converter runs off the daily riyal reading.

Before you book

Check your passport expiry. Saudi Arabia requires at least six months of validity beyond your arrival date, and a renewal from abroad takes longer than one at home. Our passport fee calculator covers the current fee bands and normal versus urgent timelines if you are due a renewal on your next trip back.