JEDDAH: The last pilgrims traveling under Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route Initiative arrived in the Kingdom Wednesday ahead of Hajj.
The program established last year allows pilgrims to complete their entry paperwork in the airports they are departing from rather than once they arrive in Saudi Arabia.
More than 171,000 pilgrims from Tunisia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh have arrived in the Kingdom this year using the initiative
The last group arrived in Makkah Wednesday morning from Tunisia.
Pilgrims traveling under the initiative have lauded the program for making their journey as smooth as possible and enabling them to perform their pilgrimage with ease and comfort.
The initiative enables them to bypass the procedures upon arrival in the Kingdom, and head directly to buses waiting to transport them to accommodation in Makkah and Madinah.
The service includes issuing visas, ensuring they comply with health requirements and sorting luggage.
The Makkah Route Initiative is part of the National Transformation Program 2020 to improve services for pilgrims.
The Kingdom plans to increase the number of countries in the future.
