Thousands of pilgrims arriving daily in Jeddah ahead of Hajj

Saudi Arabia is receiving thousands of Hajj pilgrims on a daily basis, officials at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport have said.

“Since Covid-19 numbers had been limited, this year feels like a lot but it is our honour to serve the pilgrims,” airport authorities told The National.

“Security measures have been heightened; there is no compromise on the safety of our pilgrims.”

About 2.6 million people are expected to perform the pilgrimage, which is set to start on June 26 this year.

Hajj terminal official Saad Alawi said preparations had been made before the arrival of pilgrims to ensure a smooth immigration process and allow them to pick up their bags quickly “so as not to delay their ongoing journey to Makkah, as most of them will perform Umrah”.

The pilgrims will then be guided to their assigned buses, he said.

Saudi Arabia revealed its largest operational plan for Hajj earlier this month as it listed details on measures put in place to ensure the safety and ease of pilgrims from around the world.

The plan has been set in motion, with about 22,000 people, including 8,000 volunteers, stationed across holy sites ahead of this year's Hajj season.

Jeddah airport authorities have put in place a team of customs and security officers, including women, to deal with the higher number of passengers arriving in the kingdom.

“Every year, it gets bigger and now that we have come out of the pandemic, we are ready and excited to host Hajj pilgrims in 2023,” Khalid Osamah, a Hajj operator in Jeddah, told The National.

Hajj operators take care of pilgrims' lodgings and manage their food and travel arrangements, once they arrive from the airport.

Mr Osamah said Jeddah airport authorities and security forces were doing a great job in receiving and transporting pilgrims to Makkah and Madinah.

On-the-ground transport geared for masses

The Bus Guidance Centre for Pilgrims in Makkah announced this week that it had so far arranged 4,412 buses to carry more than 248,000 pilgrims.

The centre will provide trained guides and small GPS-enabled tablets, said its director general Abdullah Sindi.

The tablets will track the arrival of pilgrims and their journey to Makkah, helping the centre to ensure that buses arrive on time.

The buses are part of an integrated system of services launched by the centre to serve the pilgrims.

“The operational plan for this year’s Hajj season is the largest in the history of the presidency, after the end of the corona[virus] pandemic and the announcement of the return of Hajj pilgrims in the millions,” said Dr Abdulrahman Al Sudais, head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

Saudi security forces held preparatory meetings over two days this week to outline plans to efficiently manage the huge crowd expected this year.

Co-ordination plans were assessed to ensure the safety of the pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and ways to support them as they perform Hajj.