RIYADH: The Makkah Route initiative, active at airports in Morocco and Pakistan, has significantly benefited many pilgrims preparing for Hajj this year, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The service stations are located at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport in Morocco and Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan.
The Makkah Route initiative aims to streamline entry procedures for pilgrims by facilitating their processes from the airports in their home countries.
Launched in 2019 by Saudi Arabia, the initiative supports Hajj pilgrims from seven countries — Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkiye, and Ivory Coast — by managing their visa, customs, and passport requirements.
The program issues electronic visas, collects biometric data, and completes all travel procedures at the departure airports. It also ensures that pilgrims have a clean bill of health and manages baggage coding and sorting to align with transport and accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom.
