تم النشر في الأحد 2022-08-14
Airlines (SAUDIA), the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has concluded its global Hajj transport operation for the year 2022 following a successful pilgrimage season.
The last group of this year’s pilgrims departed on flight SV5712 from Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, bound for Hyderabad, India. The 347 Hajj Pilgrims on board were sent off by Amer Alkhushail, Chief Hajj and Umrah Officer at SAUDIA, who thanked them for flying with SAUDIA and wished them a safe journey home.
SAUDIA commenced the first phase of its Hajj operation on 6th June by welcoming the first inbound Hajj flight. On 14th July, SAUDIA operated the first outbound Hajj flights departing the Kingdom. With the completion of the Hajj operations, SAUDIA has flown more than 350,000 Hajj pilgrims overall. 120,000 pilgrims were transported in and out of the Kingdom aboard 300 dedicated Hajj flights in addition to the 230,000 pilgrims on scheduled and extra flights.
During this year’s Hajj season, SAUDIA introduced the “Luggage First” initiative; a free service to transport groups of Hajj travelers’ baggage from their residence in Makkah and Medina 24 hours before take-off. The service delivered 280,000 pieces of baggage.
The initiative greatly enhanced pilgrim’s arrival and departure experience by delivering luggage to and from pilgrims’ residences and minimizing their time spent at the airport terminal. The new initiative also speed up the issuing of boarding passes.
“Hajj Pilgrims are our most important guests, and we are proud that SAUDIA live up to their expectation.” Alkhushail said in a statement at the departure of the last flight of this pilgrimage season. Alkhushailcommented that SAUDIA’s efforts are in line with the directives of the Kingdom’s leadership mandate by providing every possible measure to ensure a comfortable Hajj for all the pilgrims. He added that the airline has mobilized its entire workforce and technical capabilities to work harmoniously with other government agencies to ensure a seamless Hajj journey.
“The success of this year’s Hajj operation was the result of the efforts of all SAUDIA teams. Their extensive experience in managing peak times in general – and the Hajj season in particular – was instrumental to the success of the operation.” Alkhushail said.
Building on its achievement, SAUDIA is committed to further enhance the services it provides. The airline’s fleet will be expanded by 38 new aircraft over the next few years, bringing greater seating capacity for more destinations.
