Saudi officials install immigration facility at Islamabad airport

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will operate a total of 294 flights for pilgrims during 2019 Hajj season. (AFP / File)

A team from Saudi Arabia is seen here interacting with Pakistani officials at the Islamabad airport on Sunday. Representatives from the Saudi team installed an immigration system at the airport as part of the “Road to Makkah” initiative, to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims during their departure from the country. (Photo Courtesy – Pakistan Religious Ministry)

• Nearly 30,000 Pakistani pilgrims to benefit from Road to Makkah program
• PIA to operate 294 Hajj flights – 86 for Madinah and 208 for Jeddah

ISLAMABAD: A team of Saudi officials installed an immigration system at the Islamabad International Airport on Monday to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims flying to Makkah and Madinah for Hajj this year.
Nearly 30,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to benefit from the facility, part of measures introduced under the “Road to Makkah” program.
During his visit to Islamabad in February this year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had announced plans to include Pakistan in the initiative.
“The Saudi immigration team has installed its special system in the departure lounge of Islamabad airport and will formally start working from July 4,” Imran Siddique, spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News on Monday.
He said that the Saudi team will extend immigration clearance to Pakistani pilgrims flying from Islamabad airport after scrutinizing their travel documents. A 51-member immigration team from Saudi reached Islamabad on Sunday for the process.
Under the Road to Makkah project, all immigration requirements are fulfilled at the airport of origin. The project has been extended to facilitate several Muslim countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia.
“This pre-departure immigration facility at Islamabad airport will help our pilgrims save around 10 to 12 hours of waiting time at Saudi airports,” Siddique said, adding that “they [pilgrims] will also receive their luggage in their hotel rooms under the initiative.”
He added that the “pilot project” has been launched on an experimental basis from Islamabad this year and would be extended to other cities in the the future. Meanwhile, Hajj flights for 200,000 Pakistanis traveling to Makkah and Madinah is set to begin from Thursday.
Pakistan’s Aviation Ministry on Monday released a detailed schedule of pre and post Hajj flights from the major airports in the country. According to the schedule, pre-Hajj flights will start from July 4 and conclude on August 5, while post Hajj flights will run from August 17 to September 14 this year.
As per the plan, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will operate a total of 294 flights for pilgrims, out of which 86 flights will be for Madinah and 208 flights for Jeddah. The flights will be from nine different airports of the country including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Multan, Sukkur, Quetta, Faisalabad and Rahim Yar Khan. “It is appreciable that the PIA is starting for the first time this year direct Hajj flights from Quetta as well,” Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Federal Minister for Aviation said in a statement.
According to the Aviation Ministry, each pilgrim will be allowed to carry free baggage of up to 35 kilograms in two pieces in the PIA flights, while an additional 5-liter Zamzam bottle will also be allowed in the post-Hajj flights.