Through both the Founder’s airport and Madinah airport Tomorrow.. The Kingdom will receives the first flights of the Hajj Season 1440

Riyadh, July 3, 2019

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah will start receiving the first flights of this year Hajj Season.  This comes after the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) concluded its preparations to receive pilgrims arriving for the current Hajj Season.  All within the framework of an integrated operational plan to receive the guests of Rahman and provide them with the finest of services.

GACA worked to provide all needed services to facilitate the arrival of pilgrims at the two airports, by reducing the time required to complete their arrival procedures.  GACA went out of its way to equip and readied all the facilities and equipment available in each of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.  The preparations was done to receive the pilgrims and provide them with all the needed services, to complete all the procedures, in coordination with the governmental and private entities associated at both King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

This comes in line with the directives of the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and HRH the Crown Prince (God bless them both).  The directives calls for the provision of maximum comfort and serenity for the pilgrims and help them to overtake all obstacles to perform their rituals in ease and reverence.

GACA has also dedicated all its capabilities and resources to receive pilgrims during the 1440 Hajj Season.  The Hajj Terminal Complex sits on a 230 thousand Square meters area.  It includes a public area (plaza), (14) travel terminals, (141) check-in counters, (208) passport counters, (18) travel gates, (10) conveyor belts measuring at (1180) meters in length.  There is also a first class lounge dedicated to passengers continuing with their flights to Madinah, in addition to a parking lot that can accommodating (100) bus, along with an aircraft parking bays that can accommodate (26) aircrafts.  The plaza also includes (40) prayer areas.  The terminal complex is very flexible, where the terminal can be converted into one direction, which is arrival mode, when the pilgrims are arriving, and it can easily reverted back to departure.  The daily arriving capacity is 48,000 passengers, as well as departure.

It is worth noting, that the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex at King Abdulaziz International Airport witnessed many development projects, including the replacement of all passport counters with modern ones to facilitate and expedite the arrival and departure procedures.  The complex was also equipped with Islamic art paintings in the arrival terminals.  This in addition to the rehabilitation and development of the baggage weigh in area, as well as the installation of additional air-conditioning units.  There were also a big improvement in the parking area for both buses and employees vehicles.

Meanwhile, at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah, GACA has set up travel area to serve pilgrims, where it sit on a total area of 156 thousand Square meters, with a total passengers capacity of (45166) passengers daily.  The complex also have (14) check-in gates, (102) passports control gates, 32 travel gates attached to (16) jet-ways.  The complex also equipped with nine gates shuttling passengers to their intended planes by buses.  This in addition to aircraft bay areas that can accommodate (39) planes at one time, four arrival terminals and three departure terminals.  Furthermore, there a conveyor belts measuring (2620) meters in length, conveyor belts for arriving passengers measuring (1642) meters in length and a parking lot that can accommodate (250) bus.

The airport also witnessed many development programs and projects, including the completion of the service of passengers and Makkah Road initiative passengers through increase the capacity of the customs area to reach (745) Square meters.  There was also an increase in customs inspection devices to become (4).  An additional exit was also added, a health center was added to provide pilgrims with health care, and an additional site was added for customs inspection.  The complex was also provided with additional administrative offices covering an area of (50) Square meters for agencies working within the terminal, this in addition of providing two counters for the Unified Agents office. 

As for the services provided for the pilgrims, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah provided an arrays of self-services, that included (24) self-services counters, (6) travel verification counters and (10) self-boarding gates.  This is in addition to the provision of services to those with special needs, which included dedicated parking areas for arrivals and departures.  A special needs facility for the disabled, a loading and unloading area in front of the main terminal, plus waiting area beside the departure gates.

Furthermore, and in order to ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims, GACA has equipped the readied the Hajj Terminal Complex, with the followings:

The Hajj terminal (L1), this terminal can accommodates (3) flights at the same time and is intended for flights that are served with jet ways, equipped with (3) for end of passports control process.  The area includes, (40) counters for passports control, and an area dedicated for essential services such as (prayer area and restrooms), in addition to (2) conveyor belts for pilgrims luggage and (4) customs inspection devices.

As for the Hajj terminal (L0), it can accommodate more than two flight at once; it intended to receive flights that are being served by airfield buses.  It is equipped with (32) counters for passports control, (2) pilgrims luggage conveyor belts and (4) customs inspection devices.

The airport has also equipped and readied the international arrival terminal so it can receive a number of pilgrimage flights, which are shifted to the terminal during peak hours.  The priority was given to pilgrimage flights that were shifted to the international arrival area.  One of the most important service point at this terminal is (30) counters for passports control, (5) conveyor belts, (6) customs inspection devices, and a lounge dedicated for Makkah Road passengers that covers an area of (960) Square meters.  The lounge is equipped with (4) customs inspection devices, a health center, a parking area that can accommodate (20) bus.  In addition to an area outside the lounge dedicated to Unified Agents Office employees and drivers.   The lounge was also equipped with (6) rest areas for pilgrims equipped with all the essential services that covers a total area of 10,000 Square meters.