GACA participates in the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition in Jeddah

07 January, 2024

The General Authority of Civil Aviation participates in the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition “The Road to Hajj” from 8 - 11 January 2024, in the Jeddah Super Dome within the Air Transport Sector Pavilion.

The GACA’s participation aims to highlight the services and support of Saudi airports in serving guests during the Hajj and Umrah seasons, as well as review the importance of the two seasons within the national aviation strategy, consolidate relations with all relevant government and private agencies, and to emphasize the Kingdom’s pioneering role in the aviation sector to meet the objectives of the national strategy aiming to service 330 million passengers across 250 international destinations, and transport 4.5 million tons of air freight by 2030.

The GACA’s participation will be within the air transport system pavilion, introducing the programs and initiatives offered at the Kingdom’s airports to support the pilgrims on Hajj and visitors to Umrah.  The GACA will highlight its focus on innovation in the sector, and its interaction with the relevant government agencies through integration, empowerment and communication, in addition to showcasing a number of other projects and technical solutions as well as digital platforms provided by the Authority.

Among some of the new innovations facilitating the Hajj and Umrah journey through sustainable solutions through the “Mecca Road” initiative, which aims to facilitate the procedures for the arrival of pilgrims to the Kingdom, by having arrival requirements completed before pilgrims leave their respective countries, including both customs and passport procedures. This initiative has contributed to reducing waiting times and improving the flow of pilgrims at airports. To date, more than 240,000 pilgrims have been processed in this manner. In addition the “Travel Without a Bag Initiative” which enables pilgrims to complete their travel procedures, receiving luggage tags and boarding the plane from their residences. An added service also includes the “Zamzam Packages Pre-Shipping Initiative” which aims to pre-ship Zamzam packages on transit flights. To measure the efficacy of the new initiatives, the “Comprehensive Evaluation of the Quality of Airport Services” is a program to follow up and ensure the implementation of quality and safety standards by service providers from airports and carriers.

The Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition is an important window for exposure and consolidating ties with various countries and peoples of the Arab and Islamic world, both regionally and globally. The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 presents an integrated strategy for developing the Hajj and Umrah system by harnessing the capacity and intent to service pilgrims and guests alike, providing specific programs and initiatives, and working together to develop decision-making processes to enhance and sustain the quality of travel services.