The first flights of the Makkah Route Initiative for Pakistani pilgrims 2024 have commenced

In a move reflecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's commitment to facilitating the Hajj pilgrimage and enhancing services for pilgrims, the first flights carrying pilgrims benefiting from the Makkah Route Initiative from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan bound for the Kingdom. The flights departed from the initiative's dedicated terminal at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, heading directly to Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, marking the beginning of a Hajj season characterized by ease and efficiency.

Objectives of the Makkah Route Initiative and Services Provided

The initiative focuses on providing exceptional, high-quality services to pilgrims in their home countries before departure. These services include streamlining all entry procedures into the Kingdom at the departure airport. The process begins with biometric data collection (fingerprinting), followed by the electronic issuance of the Hajj visa, and then completing Saudi passport control procedures at the departure airport. The initiative also includes verifying compliance with all necessary health requirements, as well as tagging and sorting luggage according to pre-arranged transportation and accommodation within the Kingdom.

Once pilgrims arrive at the Kingdom’s airports, they do not need to wait in passport control or baggage claim areas; rather, they proceed directly via dedicated routes to buses that transport them to their accommodations in Makkah and Madinah, while partner agencies take responsibility for delivering their luggage directly to their rooms.

Historical context and the initiative's connection to Vision 2030

The Makkah Route Initiative is one of the most prominent outcomes of the “Guests of God Service Program,” a key executive program of Saudi Vision 2030. Launched in 1438 AH (2017 CE), the initiative has gradually expanded to include numerous Islamic countries. Since its inception, it has successfully served over 1,254,994 pilgrims, reflecting the Kingdom's remarkable success and exceptional organizational capabilities in crowd management and the effective use of technology to serve humanity.

Importance and impact: locally, regionally, and internationally

This initiative has a wide-ranging positive impact on several levels:

• On the local level: The initiative contributes significantly to easing pressure and congestion at Jeddah and Medina airports during the peak of the Hajj season, thus increasing operational efficiency and reducing waiting times for pilgrims arriving from other countries.
• At the regional and international levels, the initiative enhances the Kingdom's soft power and reaffirms its leadership in the Islamic world as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. It also deepens bilateral relations with beneficiary countries such as Pakistan through joint efforts and high-level security and diplomatic coordination to facilitate the pilgrimage, especially for the elderly.

National efforts must be combined to ensure the success of the initiative

This achievement would not have been possible without extensive institutional integration. The Saudi Ministry of Interior is implementing this initiative for the eighth year in strategic partnership with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, Hajj and Umrah, and Media. The General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Endowments, and the General Directorate of Passports are also actively participating. All of this is achieved through technical integration with the digital partner (stc Group), ensuring a digital infrastructure capable of processing the data of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in record time and with the highest security standards.