Saudi delegation evaluates Karachi airport for Makkah Route Initiative’s expansion to ease Hajj journey

KARACHI: A 12-member delegation of Saudi officials visited the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Tuesday to explore the possibility of extending the Makkah Route Initiative to the country’s southern port city to facilitate local Hajj pilgrims this year.
Launched as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, the initiative allows for the completion of immigration procedures at the pilgrim’s country of departure, making it possible to bypass long immigration and customs checks upon reaching Saudi Arabia, which significantly reduces the waiting time and makes the entry process smoother and faster.
Pakistani pilgrims performing Hajj under the government scheme have been availing this facility at the airport in Islamabad for the last couple of years. But the government wants the initiative to be extended to other cities as well.
“In order to facilitate the intending pilgrims, the high-level delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comprising 12 VVIPs [very, very important personalities] arrived today at JIAP [Jinnah International Airport], Karachi, at 7.30 a.m. on 5th March, 2024 for extension of route to Makkah project from Karachi,” the Hajj Directorate in Karachi announced in a statement.
The delegation arrived at the airport to survey a site to be allocated by Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) for the Makkah Route Initiative, the Hajj Directorate in Karachi added. 
It said that after the joint survey by Saudi and Pakistani officials was conducted, a “high-level meeting” took place at the CAA which was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki and the Saudi delegation. 
From the Pakistani side, the delegation comprised Syed Ata ur Rehman, the secretary of religious affairs and Sajjad Haider Yaldram, joint secretary of Hajj in Pakistan, as well as Karachi Hajj Director Gulzar Soomro. Representatives of Pakistan’s Customs, Airport Security Force, Immigration and Anti-Narcotics Force also attended the meeting. 
Pakistani authorities last year said they were hoping for the Saudi authorities to extend the initiative to two additional airports in Karachi and Lahore.
They also informed that Saudi delegations would visit the two cities ahead of the next Hajj season.
Saudi Arabia last year restored Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and abolished the upper age limit of 65 years. More than 81,000 Pakistani pilgrims performed Hajj under the government scheme in 2023, while the rest used private tour operators.
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19.