MADINAH: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah began receiving the first and inaugural Hajj pilgrim flights from the Philippines, Algeria, Somalia and Morocco on Thursday, as the kingdom ramps up its annual mass pilgrimage operations, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The General Directorate of Passports at the airport processed arrivals from all four countries, completing entry procedures smoothly and without disruption, SPA said.
In statements carried by the state news agency, the directorate reaffirmed its readiness for this year’s Hajj season, saying it had deployed advanced technology and multilingual, specialized personnel across all air, land and sea entry points to ensure a seamless experience for arriving pilgrims.
Saudi Arabia manages one of the world’s largest annual logistical operations to receive millions of Muslim pilgrims for Hajj each year, with pilgrims arriving from dozens of countries over a period of several weeks ahead of the pilgrimage’s main rites.
Last year, a total of 1,673,230 pilgrims performed Hajj. Of the total, 1,506,576 came from abroad and 166,654 from inside the Kingdom, according to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, consistently sends the largest national contingent, followed by Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
