JEDDAH: Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport has approved an operational plan for this year’s Umrah season, announcing its preparedness to start receiving pilgrims. The airport’s director general said the plan will be implemented under the supervision of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), and other government and civil institutions. The plan aims to ensure pilgrims’ comfort and safety from their arrival in Jeddah until they board their return flights, he added. More than 10 million Umrah pilgrims are expected to come through the airport, he said, praising GACA’s continuous monitoring of the quality of services provided. KAIA is Saudi Arabia’s largest and the first facility to serve pilgrims traveling by air, accounting for 40 percent of passenger movement in the Kingdom. The airport management has implemented a number of development projects in the north and south terminals to boost operational efficiency and provide better service to passengers. Earlier, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Saturday launched a weekly indicator whereby authorities can track the number of pilgrims coming into the Kingdom, and in turn enrich their experiences by providing high-quality services. Abdul Aziz Wazzan, undersecretary at the ministry, said the initiative is part of Saudi’s Vision 2030. He said the ministry was working in coordination with all sectors and preparations were in place to welcome the pilgrims this year. He said with the weekly data, authorities will have access to the information, such as the number of visas issued, the number of pilgrims visiting the Kingdom via air, land or sea, and the number of them landing in Makkah and Madinah. Pilgrims from Pakistan and India led the list of visitors to the Kingdom, followed by those from Sri Lanka, Jordan and Kuwait.