JEDDAH — Airlines transporting Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia have been asked to expedite the delivery of their baggage as soon as they arrive at the airport. The call was made by Hisham Al-Faleh, adviser to Emir of Makkah, during a meeting recently of the committee supervising Haj plan. The meeting was held at the Haj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and was attended by a number of officials who were concerned with Haj services at the airports. The meeting reviewed plans to complete the procedures of about 9.6 million pilgrims who are expected to arrive and depart during the Umrah season which began in November 2015 and will continue until mid July. The committee asked all parties concerned to provide sufficient workforce to finalize the procedures of the pilgrims swiftly, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. The chairman called for preparing Gate No. 17, which is used for the entry of pilgrims to the Haj terminal, before the advent of the fasting month. Companies in charge of accommodation of pilgrims will also be made responsible for shipping their luggage to their destinations, the Haj Ministry announced in January. Under this mechanism pilgrims will go to the airport without any luggage. They will no longer have to wait at the counters to check-in their baggage. Licensed accommodation companies in Makkah and Madinah will transport the luggage to the airport and complete the shipping procedures. Zamzam water, which pilgrims are keen to take back home, will be shipped onboard the aircraft flying back home after dropping pilgrims.
