JEDDAH — Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh Al-Jasser visited the dedicated terminal for the Makkah Route Initiative at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Saturday. He received pilgrims who arrived under the initiative from Bangladesh. The minister was briefed on the procedures implemented to facilitate pilgrims’ journeys, accelerate processing times, and deliver high-quality services that enable them to perform their rituals in ease and comfort.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 served 1,254,994 pilgrims until last Hajj. The first groups of pilgrims from Turkiye, Pakistan and Malaysia under the Makkah Route Initiative arrived in Madinah on Saturday while the first flight from Bangladesh under the initiative landed in Jeddah. The Makkah Route initiative aims to provide streamlined high-quality services for pilgrims from participating countries by receiving them and facilitating their entry procedures in their home countries. These services include collecting biometric data, issuing Hajj visas electronically, and finalizing passport procedures at departure airports after verifying compliance with health requirements. The initiative also ensures the tagging and sorting of luggage in accordance with transportation and accommodation arrangements within the Kingdom. Upon arrival, pilgrims are transported directly via dedicated routes to their accommodations in Makkah and Madinah regions, while partner entities handle the delivery of their luggage.
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