By Muhammad Aslam
JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) May 23 (APP):: Two planes of the Saudi Airlines are scheduled to arrive here on Friday carrying 720 intending Pakistani Hajj pilgrims from Karachi and Islamabad under the Road to Makkah Initiative, following the diversion of the pre-Hajj-flight operation from Madinah which concluded on Thursday.
In the first phase of the Hajj-flight operation, a total of 34,316 Pakistanis have reached Madinah by May 23 through 146 flights. From May 24 to June 09, as many as 114 flights will be operating to airlift 34,422 Pakistanis from major cities to Jeddah.
On Friday, the first flight SV-3705, with 370 passengers on board, will arrive by 5 a.m. (local time) and the second SV-3727 will land at 6:10 a.m. carrying 350 Hajj pilgrims, a spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Muhammad Umer Butt told APP.
He said the Director General Jeddah/Head of Pakistan Hajj Mission Abdul Wahab Soomro, Council General Khalid Majeed, senior officials of the Council and the ministry of religious affairs, representatives of the Saudi government will welcome guests of the Allah Almighty.
Upon arrival at the Jeddah airport, the spokesman said the pilgrims, who would be wearing Ihram, will first go to their hotel accommodations and then to the Harm-e-Makki to perform the obligatory Umrah, under an extensive transport system.
“Under the Road to Makkah initiative, the passengers will not be required to stand in long queues for immigration purposes. They will disembark from their planes and will directly go to their hotels, and their luggage will be shifted automatically to their hotel residences,” he said