Emirates To Add More Flights to Mecca, Jeddah Amid Hajj, Eid Al-Adha
The Dubai-based Emirates Airline announced additional flights to and from Saudi Arabia to meet the travel demands of Hajj pilgrims on Wednesday.
With the Hajj season starting followed by the Eid al-Adha weekend, Emirates announced it would add flights to and from Islam’s holy cities of Mecca, and Jeddah. Medina will also be served with daily flights during this time, the airline said in a statement. Ten flights have been added to and from Jeddah, which will be operated on Boeing 777s until 7 July.
The Hajj flights to Jeddah will run in parallel to the UAE carrier’s existing schedule to Saudi Arabia. It said that the additional flights are open to passengers with a valid Hajj visa, above the age of 12, and those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Emirates has already seen strong bookings for Hajj travel from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Mauritius and South Africa,” it said in the statement.
Saudi Arabia anticipates 2.6 million pilgrims this season, reaching pre-pandemic numbers. The Kingdom has already received over 1.3 million pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season which will begin on June 26.
For Hajj pilgrims flying from Dubai, an airport team will manage check-in and help with the formalities. Those transiting through Dubai will be escorted from their arrival gate to the departure gate, with all arrival formalities processed by a dedicated Hajj team, the airline said.
Aboard the aircraft, Emirates said it will provide a “pilgrim-centric experience that upholds the values and traditions of the travellers’ faith,” including accommodations for ablutions and cleansing rituals, provision of unperfumed towels and additional blankets, and announcements for when the aircraft enters the al-Miqat zones (state of sanctity) and indicate the changing of Ihram robes. Passengers will be able to check in up to five litres of holy water (Zamzam), which it said will be placed in special areas in the cargo hold.
Thirty-four additional flights have been added to popular destinations in the Middle East to keep up with demand during the six-day Eid al-Adha break. Emirates said it has added ten flights to Amman from 21 to 30 June, and ten more flights to Beirut from 20 to 29 June. Within the GCC, the airline has added five flights to Dammam from 21 to 25 June and nine flights to Kuwait from 22 June to 2 July. The airline will also offer food options to suit the Eid al-Adha celebration.
