First Air-India Haj Flight Arrives in Jaddeh
-- “I am thrilled to be here for Haj,” remarked a septuagenarian woman as she arrived on the first Air-India Haj flight from India’s northern city of Lucknow. Her flight landed at King Abdul Aziz International Airport’s Haj Terminal shortly after noon yesterday. The group was composed of 259 pilgrims. “I am here to fulfill my ambition,” she said.
India’s Ambassador M.O.H. Farook, Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed and his wife Farha Sayeed, and Haj Consul Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan received the pilgrims. “All pilgrims are in a good state of health and spirits,” the ambassador said, adding that all arrangements had been made for a smooth transfer of pilgrims from the Haj Terminal to Makkah. “Also all arrangements have been made in the holy city to receive, accommodate and serve the pilgrims,” the consul general said.
Three other Air-India flights were to follow before midnight — carrying 170 pilgrims from Nagpur, 215 from Srinagar and 170 from Calcutta. The Calcutta flight was bound for Madinah.
The Indian diplomatic mission has made arrangements for 55,278 male and 47,181 female Indian Haj pilgrims this year. Some 157,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive from India — 110,000 through the Haj Committee of India and 47,000 through private tour operators. This is the largest number of pilgrims to arrive from India for Haj so far, making India the second largest country, after Indonesia, to send pilgrims to the Kingdom.
Accommodation for all pilgrims has been provided in five categories, with 85 percent of them staying within the traditional boundaries of Makkah as against 60 percent last year. Those staying in the fifth category (Aziziah) of accommodation will be six kilometer from the Grand Mosque.
There will be 46,871 pilgrims in first category accommodation, 25,141 in second category, 15,770 in third category, 3070 in fourth category and 9,716 in fifth category, according to Dr. Sayeed.
Around 80 percent of Indian pilgrims will stay in Makkah itself, which will enable them to perform all five prayers in the Holy Mosque without any difficulty. Around 84,000 Indian pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India will be housed in Makkah. Last year, only 61,000 were lodged in the same area.
A “qualitative improvement” in Madinah accommodation is likely this year as more than 40 percent of the pilgrims will be staying in buildings located in the Markazia area, in the immediate proximity of the Prophet’s Mosque.
Arab News
Three other Air-India flights were to follow before midnight — carrying 170 pilgrims from Nagpur, 215 from Srinagar and 170 from Calcutta. The Calcutta flight was bound for Madinah.
The Indian diplomatic mission has made arrangements for 55,278 male and 47,181 female Indian Haj pilgrims this year. Some 157,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive from India — 110,000 through the Haj Committee of India and 47,000 through private tour operators. This is the largest number of pilgrims to arrive from India for Haj so far, making India the second largest country, after Indonesia, to send pilgrims to the Kingdom.
Accommodation for all pilgrims has been provided in five categories, with 85 percent of them staying within the traditional boundaries of Makkah as against 60 percent last year. Those staying in the fifth category (Aziziah) of accommodation will be six kilometer from the Grand Mosque.
There will be 46,871 pilgrims in first category accommodation, 25,141 in second category, 15,770 in third category, 3070 in fourth category and 9,716 in fifth category, according to Dr. Sayeed.
Around 80 percent of Indian pilgrims will stay in Makkah itself, which will enable them to perform all five prayers in the Holy Mosque without any difficulty. Around 84,000 Indian pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India will be housed in Makkah. Last year, only 61,000 were lodged in the same area.
A “qualitative improvement” in Madinah accommodation is likely this year as more than 40 percent of the pilgrims will be staying in buildings located in the Markazia area, in the immediate proximity of the Prophet’s Mosque.
Arab News
Related News
