Madinah, April 19, 2026, SPA -- The first flight carrying beneficiaries of the Makkah Route Initiative arrived from Istanbul International Airport in the Republic of Türkiye to the Kingdom via the initiative's terminal at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.
The Makkah Route Initiative aims to deliver high-quality services to pilgrims from beneficiary countries by receiving them and completing their procedures with ease in their homelands. This begins with biometric data collection and the electronic issuance of Hajj visas, followed by passport formalities at the departure airport after verifying health requirements, and the coding and sorting of luggage in line with transport and accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom.
Pilgrims then proceed directly to buses designated to take them to their residences in Makkah and Madinah via dedicated routes, while partner entities ensure their luggage is delivered to them.
The Ministry of Interior implements the initiative in its eighth year in cooperation with the ministries of foreign affairs, health, Hajj and Umrah, and media, along with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Awqaf, the Pilgrim Experience Program, and the General Directorate of Passports, in integration with the digital partner stc Group.
Since its launch in 1438 AH (2017), the initiative has served 1,254,994 pilgrims.
The first flight of this year’s Makkah Route Initiative has landed in Madinah, carrying pilgrims from Istanbul through a dedicated terminal designed to make Hajj entry nearly seamless. By handling biometric visas, passport checks, and luggage sorting before departure, the program promises to replace airport chaos with direct bus transfers to pilgrims' residences. Now in its eighth year, the Saudi-led initiative is expanding its reach—having already eased the journey for more than 1.25 million pilgrims since 2017.
