MADINAH — The first batches of Hajj pilgrims from several countries arrived in Madinah and Jeddah on Saturday, Dhul Qada 1, marking the commencement of international arrivals for this year’s pilgrimage. They included pilgrims traveling under the Makkah Route initiative from Turkiye, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Bangladesh in addition to the pilgrims from India. Most of the pilgrims arrived at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah on Saturday while some groups of pilgrims landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Saudi officials as well as diplomats from the respective countries accorded a warm reception for the pilgrims. The General Directorate of Passports at Madinah airport processed the Turkish Hajj pilgrims arrived from Ankara Esenboğa Airport for the annual pilgrimage under the Makkah Route Initiative. Saudi officials and Pakistani diplomats received first flight from Pakistan. The flight carrying pilgrims from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, arrived at Madinah airport. Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Saturday the third embarkation point of the Makkah Route initiative in Pakistan by launching the service from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. Pakistani Minister of Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Al-Maliki, and Saudi Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Saleh Al-Murabba attended the launching ceremony. The flight, under the Makkah Route Initiative, carrying Malaysian pilgrims from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, landed at Madinah airport. The first flight carrying beneficiaries of the Makkah Route Initiative departed on Saturday from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, bound for King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdullah bin Abiyah were present to see off the pilgrims at the airport. The first batch of Indian pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual Haj pilgrimage, the Indian mission in Saudi Arabia said. “The first group of Indian pilgrims was received at Madinah airport by Deputy Ministers of Hajj and Umrah Prof. Abdulaziz Wazzan and Eng. Ayad Abdulrahman Rahbini, Indian Ambassador Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan and Consul General Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri. The first flight carrying 400 pilgrims came from Mumbai, and it was followed by 10 flights from other Indian cities. The first flight carrying Indian private pilgrims landed at Jeddah airport. The General Directorate of Passports affirmed its comprehensive readiness to facilitate a seamless entry experience for pilgrims across all air, land, and sea ports by mobilizing advanced technological resources and specialized personnel to ensure the highest service standards throughout the Hajj season. The Ministry of Interior has been implementing the Makkah Route initiative for the eighth year in 2026. This year the number of beneficiary countries of this initiative rose to 10 with the addition of Senegal and Brunei Darussalam for the first time. Other countries are Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Ivory Coast, and the Maldives. Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has so far served 1,254,994 pilgrims. The Makkah Route initiative aims to provide high-quality services to pilgrims from participating countries by receiving them and facilitating their entry procedures in their home countries. This includes collecting biometric data and issuing Hajj visas electronically, completing passport control procedures at the departure airport after verifying compliance with health requirements, tagging and sorting luggage according to transportation and accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom. Pilgrims under the initiative are transferred directly to buses that transport pilgrims to their accommodations in Makkah and Madinah via dedicated routes. Partner organizations are responsible for delivering their luggage to these accommodations. It is worthy to note that the Ministry of Interior is implementing the initiative in cooperation with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, Hajj and Umrah, and Media, as well as the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Endowments, the Guests of God Service Program, and the General Directorate of Passports.
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