Spanning 74 days to bring pilgrims from
around the world to the Holy Sites
Saudia Group announces its operational plan for Hajj Season
2024, aimed at facilitating the transportation of pilgrims from
around the world, streamlining all procedures and providing
top-notch services at various service locations. Over 1.2 million
seats have been allocated through optimal investment in its fleet
of more than 150 aircraft, distinguished by operational efficiency
and quality services. This initiative is in line with the
directives of Saudi leadership, supported by collaboration with
various entities involved in serving Hajj pilgrims.
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Saudia Group announces Hajj Season 2024
Plan (Graphic: Business Wire)
The operational period for the national flag carrier during Hajj
Season 2024, encompassing both inbound and outbound stages, spans
74 days starting from May 9th. Saudia Group has proactively formed
specialized teams distributed among performance monitoring,
terminal operations, follow-up, and coordination with other
sectors. Additionally, operational resources have been allocated
across the lounges of King Abdulaziz International Airport in
Jeddah, and an emergency plan has been developed in collaboration
with relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, numerous virtual
simulations have been conducted across both Jeddah and Madinah
international airports.
Saudia Group will welcome Hajj pilgrims through five domestic
airports, including Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh, Dammam, and Yanbu,
with more than 11,000 frontline employees and aircraft maintenance
technicians, ensuring smooth flow of movement at the airports as
well as operational efficiency. Additionally, 120,000 pilgrims will
be served through the “Makkah Route” initiative which is designed
to streamline the immigration process for pilgrims to Makkah.
Saudia will also continue its “Luggage First” service, and 270,000
bags will be handled as well as 240,000 Zamzam bottles.
Amer Al Khushail, CEO of Saudia Hajj and Umrah, said: "The
national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia is honored to continue its
pivotal role in serving pilgrims, ensuring their spiritual journey
is enriched in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. Each year,
we integrate the efforts across all sectors as we strive to enhance
pilgrims’ satisfaction by implementing initiatives that streamline
arrival procedures and airport check-in processes.”
"In preparation for the Hajj season, Saudia is committed to
signing agreements with government delegations and travel agents,
to ensure providing appropriate seat capacity for markets with high
demand across over a hundred destinations in four continents. We
offer seamless bookings through Saudia’s offices and online
channels, we have also designed awareness campaigns regarding
luggage acceptance criteria," added Al Khashil.
Saudia offers a number of initiatives to enhance the pilgrims’
experience. These begin with the issuance of outbound and inbound
boarding passes. With a commitment to seamless communication,
Saudia's multilingual staff, proficient in more than 30 languages,
ensure efficient service delivery at the highest standards. The
airline also offers diverse meal options onboard, catering to all
tastes.
Saudia aircraft have been specially equipped, featuring screens
that will display announcements of Miqat (a boundary for pilgrims
to start intent for the performance of Ḥajj), and prayer times.
These screens also offer over 300,000 minutes of Islamic content
aimed at educating pilgrims on rituals and Kingdom regulations,
developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
Saudia prioritizes accessibility, providing transport for
individuals with disabilities, along with medical stretchers and
oxygen equipment onboard as needed. Moreover, Saudia continues its
luggage collection service from pilgrims' residences, streamlining
travel procedures for return flights after the pilgrimage
rites.
About Saudia Group
Saudia Group is one of the largest aviation conglomerates in the
MENA region. The Group drives industry development with its 12
subsidiaries and strategic business units, and offers world-class
air transport, cargo services, ground services, logistics,
maintenance, catering, private aviation, real estate, training, and
medical services.
Its most prominent subsidiary is Saudi Arabian Airlines
“Saudia”, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia and a leading
airline in the Middle East with a fleet of 140 aircraft and
servicing more than 100 destinations to and from the Jeddah (JDH)
and Riyadh (RUH) airports.
Saudia Group also caters to diverse passenger segments through
entities like flyadeal for economy travelers, Saudia Private for
elite travelers, and the Saudia Royal Fleet for the Saudi Arabia
Royal Family. Saudia Technic, the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul
(MRO) division, provides aircraft maintenance and manufacturing
across continents, operating across the MENA region. Saudia
Academy, the training arm of the group, is the largest aviation
training academy in the MENA region.
To complement its aviation services, the group offers seamless
logistics and cargo-handling solutions through Saudia Cargo and
Saudi Logistics Services (SAL). Additionally, catering and
ground-handling services are delivered through Catrion and Saudi
Ground Services Co. (SGS). To address the specific medical needs of
the aviation sector, Medical Fakeeh specializes in aviation-focused
medical services, while the Saudi Arabian Real Estate Development
manages and invests in real estate projects for Saudia Group.
About Saudia
Saudia (Saudia Airlines) is the national flag carrier of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1945, the company has grown
to become one of the Middle East’s largest airlines.
Saudia has invested significantly in upgrading its aircraft and
currently operates one of the youngest fleet. The airline serves an
extensive global route network covering around 100 destinations
across four continents, including all 28 domestic airports in Saudi
Arabia.
A member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), Saudia has also been
a member airline in SkyTeam, the second largest alliance, since
2012.
Saudia was recently awarded the "World Class Airline 2024" for
the third consecutive year at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™
awards. Saudia has also advanced 11 places in the Skytrax airlines
ranking of the World Best Airlines 2023. The Airline also ranked
top among global airlines for best on-time performance (OTP)
according to a report by the Cirium.
For more information on Saudia, please visit www.saudia.com.
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