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- Under the project, all immigration requirements of pilgrims are to be fulfilled at the airport of origin
- Pakistan will operate flights under Road to Makkah project from Islamabad, transport 14,007 pilgrims
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will operate 42 flights to transport 14,007 Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia under the Road to Makkah initiative this year, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Friday.
Under the Road to Makkah project, all immigration requirements of pilgrims are to be fulfilled at the airport of origin. This saves pilgrims several hours upon reaching the kingdom since they can just enter the country, having gone through immigration already at home.
These 42 flights will be operated from the Islamabad airport, where Pakistan implemented a pilot project in 2019. The Road to Makkah initiative also includes other Muslim countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
On Friday, Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor and Saudi Arabia’s ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki visited the Islamabad airport to observe the pre-departure immigration arrangement for Pakistani Hajj pilgrims under the Road to Makkah initiative.
“The minister and the ambassador expressed their satisfaction and appreciated the arrangements made at IIAP (Islamabad International Airport),” the PCAA said in a statement.
“Total Hujjaj (pilgrims) traveling from IIAP through Route to Makkah is 14,007. Total flights operating from IIAP would be 42.”
Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor (second left) and Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Islamabad, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki (third left) visit the Islamabad airport to observe the pre-departure immigration arrangement for Pakistani Hajj pilgrims under the Road to Makkah initiative in Islamabad on June 3, 2022. (PCAA)
Of these flights, the Pakistan International Airlines will operate 18, Saudi Airline 18, Airblue four and Serene Air will operate two, according to the PCAA.
The first Hajj flight would depart from Islamabad on June 6, with 106 special flights to be operated by the government for around 32,000 pilgrims traveling on an official quota.
Saudi Arabia will let up to one million people join the Hajj pilgrimage this year, expanding it to participants from outside the kingdom after two years of tight COVID restrictions. However, pilgrims this year must be under age 65 and fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Pakistan has been allotted a quota of 81,132 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj, with 32,000 people using a government scheme and 48,000 traveling through private operators.