Saudi Arabia’s Makkah route initiative expands to Türkiye
ISTANBUL – Turkish Hajj pilgrims will complete entry and other procedures at Istanbul airport this year.
Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that Saudi Arabia extended this facility to Türkiye on Tuesday.
The director general of the Saudi General Directorate of Passports, Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, said all formalities would be completed in Istanbul.
So, when the pilgrims board the plane, they will complete their journey as if they were on a domestic flight.
He said that there is no other example of such a project in the world.
“When pilgrims get on the plane from here, they will complete their journey as if they were on a domestic flight, even easier than a domestic flight, without any procedure,” Al-Yahya said.
This facilitation is part of the Makkah Route Initiative, which began in 2019 as part of the Guests of God Service Program.
This is one of many initiatives under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
The initiative includes verifying visas, passports, and health procedures before they leave their home countries.
Ali Erbas, chairman of Türkiye’s top religious authority Diyanet, said he was pleased with the project.
He said Turkish pilgrims will perform important tasks such as fingerprinting and passport control at Istanbul airport.
“After our pilgrims depart from here, they will immediately get into cars and arrive at their hotels, without having to wait at the airports in Makkah and Medina,” he said, hailing Saudi efforts.
“When we consider the past difficulties, such as waiting in long passport queues, waiting to have their fingerprints taken, we can especially emphasize that this is a major project, a significant innovation,” he added.
These services are otherwise provided at Saudi airports.
Once the pilgrims arrive at the Saudi airport, they will directly drive to their hotels, without waiting at the airports to fulfill immigration requirements.
Due to the rush of pilgrims, long lines usually form at Saudi airports where pilgrims have to wait for hours to complete entry formalities and fingerprinting.
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