Makkah road: Pilgrims from Malaysia to enter through Jeddah airport on 28th July

JEDDAH: Pilgrims from Malaysia will start entering Makkah via Jeddah using the newly introduced Makkah Road initiative by the Saudi Arabian government on July 28 (Saturday), said Ports Projects Management and Development Co Ltd deputy chief executive officer (operations) Abdulrahman Saad Hajar today.
He said the pre-clearance system, which eliminates customs declarations and documentation hassle in Saudi, will be handled through a special isolated location at the King Abdulaziz International Airport here.
"The operations from Madinah (where the first flight for pilgrims arrived from Kuala Lumpur) which started on July 14 will move here in four days' time. As you can see, we are preparing this special isolated entrance.
"We expect to receive the first flight from Kuala Lumpur at 4am, on July 28 which carries 418 passengers through MAS Airbus 380 plane," he told 11 editors of various Islamic countries who were on a 10-day visit to cover the pre-pilgrimage season this year.
He said through the Makkah Road initiative, the airport authority was targeting a 20-minute clearance for the pilgrims from the landing process till reaching their buses which would be waiting to send them to their respective hotels in Makkah.
The initiative began with ending the entry visas into Saudi Arabia from the pilgrim's own country, at the airport where originating flight takes off from, in collaboration with various related Saudi Arabia government agencies to facilitate pilgrimage arrangements and requirements.
The pilgrims who arrive under the Makkah Road initiative have their fingerprints taken and passports stamped at the pilgrim's country of departure and their entry into Saudi Arabia would be facilitated like a domestic flight, while baggage would be sent directly to their hotels and place of stay.
This initiative also involve pilgrims from Indonesia but only for those who flew in via Soekarno Hatta Airport in Jakarta.
Abdulrahman said the Makkah Road initiative would involve 65,000 pilgrims from both countries.
The first flight carrying Malaysian haj pilgrims to the holy land departed on July 14 while the last flight would be on Aug 15. The return flights have been scheduled from Aug 29 to Sept 25.
According to sources, the initiative is going on smoothly at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah.
On another matter, he said the airport was unique as it could be only on departure mode and arrival mode at any one time, or both.
"We could receive about 3,800 passengers during the arrival mode per hour and 3,500 passengers during departure mode per hour. So far about 113 flights and 50,000 pilgrims have entered Saudi through this airport," he added.
Other facilities provided at the airport are 20 prayer rooms (musolla), 20 seat areas for waiting, a clinic, various booths for telecommunications, 100 bus parking and a hotel with 132 rooms.
The Makkah Road initiative is part of the Saudi Government National Transition Programs (2020) to achieve the Kingdom Vision 2030.
Also present was General Authority of Civil Aviation King Abdulaziz International Airport, Haj and Umrah Affairs manager Abdulmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani. — Bernama