Saudi Arabia to welcome foreign Haj pilgrims at six airports across the Kingdom
Saudia to use 176 aircraft, allocate 1.2m seats for pilgrims’ seamless travel experience
Dubai: Saudi Arabia is preparing to welcome foreign Haj pilgrims at six airports across the Kingdom — Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh, Dammam, Taif, and Yanbu.
National flag carrier Saudia will transport pilgrims from over 100 scheduled and 14 seasonal destinations globally.
Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina is set to receive the first flights on May 21.
Saudia plans to utilise 176 aircraft and allocate 1.2 million seats to provide a seamless travel experience for pilgrims.
The airline employs 8,000 cabin crew members fluent in 42 languages and offers educational e-books on performing Hajj and Umrah in 14 languages.
In-flight Islamic content has been updated to include 134 hours of religious programmes and 590 hours of Qur’an recitations, along with other Islamic programmes in multiple languages.
To raise awareness among pilgrims, Saudia Group will share messages in their languages through Hajj missions, organisations in Mecca and Medina, and at Hajj residences.
These messages will cover journey details, baggage limits and requirements to facilitate a smooth pilgrimage.
For the first time, flyadeal, a subsidiary of Saudia, will also participate in transporting pilgrims.
Saudia Group aims to achieve operational efficiency while adhering to safety standards, offering services like zamzam water bottle dispatch and additional flights to Medina.