The first groups of Haj pilgrims, coming from Pakistan, India and the Maldives, are expected to arrive Thursday at King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah. Muhammed Jamal Marghlani, director of Haj Ministry's Jeddah branch, said the government agencies involved in Haj services had completed the arrangements for receiving pilgrims. Marghlani said some 100,000 pilgrims had already arrived at Prince Muhammed Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madina, most of them members of Haj missions who oversee pilgrims' stay. The new terminals at KAIA will accommodate more pilgrims and facilitate formalities making their passage through the airport easier and swifter. Over 5,000 temporary workers employed by the Ministry of Haj, the Unified Agents Office and Cars Syndicate are already in position at KAIA and Haj terminals. Mufaq Salama, Head of Operations at KAIA, said that over 230 pilgrim flights were scheduled to arrive daily and that Haj terminals were designed to accommodate 3,700 pilgrims per hour to ensure the best possible services for the guests of Allah. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tawafa Establishments for Arab countries said reports showed an estimated 350,000 pilgrims would arrive from 22 Arab countries. – Okaz __
