Riyadh: The first batch of Haj pilgrims arrived at Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz international airport in Madinah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, after a COVID-engineered hiatus of two years, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The arrival of the first batch of pilgrims, following all precautionary measures to receive pilgrims.
The first batch consists of 400 Haj pilgrims coming from Indonesia. The pilgrims were presented with flowers, dates and Zamzam water bottles upon arrival.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Visit Affairs, Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Bijawi told the Al-Ekhbariya channel, “Today, we received the first group of this year’s pilgrims from Indonesia, and the flights will continue from Malaysia and India.”
“We are happy to receive the guests of God from outside the kingdom, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic,” he added, describing Saudi Arabia as “fully prepared” to accommodate them.
Here’s a look
The first flight with Haj pilgrims departs from Kerala`s Kochi airport
On Saturday, June 4, the first flight with haj pilgrims to Madinah in Saudi Arabia departed from Kochi airport at 8:30 am. 377 passengers departed in the SV 5747 flight of Saudi Arabian Airlines.
On April 9, 2022, the ministry announced that one million international and domestic pilgrims will be given permission to perform Haj this year.
Haj is one of the five pillars of Islam, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. 2020 witnessed an exceptional season for Haj and in consideration of the “COVID-19” pandemic.
