Surabaya Sees First Makkah Route Initiative Flight Take off for Hajj 1446 AH

Surabaya, May 02, 2025, SPA -- Indonesian beneficiaries of the Makkah Route Initiative embarked on their Hajj journey today with a flight departing from the initiative's lounge at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, bound for Prince Abdulaziz bin Mohammed International Airport in Madinah.
   Now in its seventh year, the Makkah Route Initiative provides comprehensive, high-quality services to pilgrims from participating countries, ensuring a smooth and convenient experience from their home countries. The process includes biometric data collection, electronic Hajj visa issuance, and passport procedure completion at the departure airport, following verification of health requirements. Pilgrims' baggage is then coded and sorted according to their transportation and accommodation arrangements within the Kingdom.
   Upon arrival, pilgrims are directly transferred to buses for transportation to their accommodations in Makkah and Madinah via designated routes, with partner agencies handling the delivery of their luggage to these locations.
   The Ministry of Interior spearheads the implementation of this initiative in collaboration with several key government bodies: the ministries of foreign affairs, health, Hajj and Umrah, and media, as well as the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Awqaf, the Pilgrim Experience Program, and the General Directorate of Passports.
   -- SPA