For his part, Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Hatem Qadhi lauded the successful issuing of more than 1.8 million e-visas, pointing out that this step is a qualitative leap in facilitating the entry procedures for the pilgrims. He also highlighted the success of Makkah Road initiative which has been applied in five countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tunisia. More than 150,000 pilgrims benefited from the initiative and arrived in the Kingdom as if they are on a domestic flight, he said. He also said that more than 3,000 flights carrying pilgrims arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. More than 800,000 pilgrims arrived in Madinah to greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and visit the Prophet's Mosque and then head for Makkah, the Official Spokesman said. As many as 25,000 buses transported the pilgrims from Madinah to Makkah without any accidents, he added. The Official Spokesman also said that as many as 21,000 inspection tours were made to ensure the quality of services provided in Madinah and the holy sites, pointing out that the transporting of pilgrims from their dwellings in Makkah to Mina will begin tonight. --More 18:56 LOCAL TIME 15:56 GMT 0026 www.spa.gov.sa/w1152723