Türkiye Launches Makkah Route Initiative Flights to Facilitate Travel for Pilgrims

The first flight carrying pilgrims under the Makkah Route Initiative departed today from Ankara Esenboğa Airport, Türkiye, bound for Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, marking the continued expansion of the program, which provides streamlined, high-quality services to pilgrims directly from their home countries.
 The initiative facilitates a seamless journey by completing all entry requirements at the point of departure. This includes the electronic issuance of Hajj visas, biometric data collection, and passport control. Additionally, luggage is coded and sorted according to accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom, allowing pilgrims to bypass airport procedures upon arrival and transfer directly to their residences in Makkah and Madinah via designated bus routes.
 Since its launch in 2017, the Makkah Route Initiative has served 1,254,994 pilgrims, led by the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the ministries of foreign affairs, health, hajj and umrah, and media, alongside the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, the General Authority for Awqaf, the Pilgrim Experience Program, and the General Directorate of Passports, in partnership with the stc group as the digital enabler.