Riyadh: A total of 267,657 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through air and land ports to perform Haj this year, until Sunday, May 19.
The General Directorate for Passports (Jawazat) said that it is harnessing all its capabilities to facilitate entry procedures for the pilgrims, by supporting its platforms at international air, land and sea ports with the latest technical devices operated by qualified human cadres in different languages, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Earlier this month, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation explained that it had prepared six major airports to serve pilgrims, allocating 3.4 million seats through 7,700 flights.
The first flight of 283 pilgrims arrived on Thursday morning, May 9, from Hyderabad, India, marking the start of the Haj season.
This year, Haj is expected to begin on June 14 and conclude on June 19. However, the date is subject to change pending an official announcement by the Saudi Arabia moon sighting committee in the days leading up to the Haj.
