The first Hajj flight carrying pilgrims from Dubai to Saudi Arabia is scheduled to depart on 22 June, with the second one taking off two days later.
Head of Terminal Business Support and Head of Hajj Committee at Dubai Airports, Mohammed Al Marzouqi detailed that they are partnering with four airlines, two of them from Dubai and two from Saudi Arabia.
The partner airlines include Emirates, flydubai, Flynas, and Saudia. In total, 3,100 Emiratis and a large number of expats from the UAE will begin their Hajj journey from Dubai International Airport (DXB).
Al Mazrouqi stated that Dubai Airports does not monitor the data for non-Emiratis going for Hajj because they are marked as normal passengers flying to Saudi Arabia and not as Hajj pilgrims.
The official also added that Saudi authorities have removed all Hajj travel restrictions imposed two years back. In this regard, they are anticipating heavy traffic, he said.
Saudi Foreign Ministry has recently introduced e-visa for UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, and Indonesia. This move will further contribute to the traffic in-flow.
DXB has also launched several facilities to improve operations during the Hajj season. These include special check-in counters, fast passport control, and security processes, and dedicated departure gates for Hajj flights.
