Saudi Arabia: 7,700 flights to transport pilgrims for Haj

Riyadh: In preparation for the upcoming Haj season, around 7,700 scheduled flights will transport Muslim pilgrims from around the world to and from Saudi Arabia, local media reported.

About 1.7 million seats on these flights have been allocated to pilgrims, who are scheduled to land at six airports in the Kingdom.

According to Arabic daily Okaz, they are King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah, Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah, Taif Airport, Prince Abdul Mohsen Airport in Yanbu, King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, and King Fahd Airport in Dammam.

The first flights carrying pilgrims from India, Afghanistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh arrived on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

What is Haj?

The Haj pilgrimage to Makkah is a mandatory religious duty that must be performed by those Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it, at least once in a lifetime.

This year, the Haj is expected to start on June 26 and will take place without COVID-19 restrictions, allowing a large number of pilgrims to participate.