JEDDAH: Since the 2023 Hajj season is approaching, the Saudia Group, represented by Saudia, flyadeal and Saudi Private Aviation, has announced its Hajj operational plan, allocating more than 1.2 million seats for pilgrims from all over the world. “Allocating over 1.2 million seats to transport pilgrims is among the most prominent features of this year’s plan — 176 aircraft will be used from the Saudia and flyadeal fleet,” said Amer Al-Khushail, CEO of Hajj and Umrah at the Saudia Group, during the announcement on Thursday at the Saudia Flight Operation Building in Jeddah. “Transportation operations will also take place from 100 airports around the world, in addition to 14 new airports designated for this season. The pilgrims will be transported through six airports inside the Kingdom, which is happening for the first time in cooperation and coordination with the General Authority of Civil Aviation, led by Abdulaziz Al-Duailej,” Al-Khushail added. The integrated operational plan was designed differently since this Hajj season will return to full capacity compared to reduced numbers in previous years due to COVID-19. Al-Khushail said he was proud of last year’s Umrah season, saying it went smoothly despite being back at full capacity. He told Arab News that the size of fleets dedicated to Hajj had increased as a result, and flyadeal would be involved for the first time in operations to transport pilgrims. “Through the vast experience of the Saudia Group over the years of operating Hajj seasons with high efficiency and effectiveness, the necessary plans have been prepared for this season and have been approved by the board of directors of Saudi Airlines led by the Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh Al-Jasser,” he said. Al-Khushail highlighted the importance of integrating performance with various government stakeholders at airports, such as GACA, along with all companies involved in organizing Hajj trips inside and outside the Kingdom. He also revealed that Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah will receive the first flights arriving in the Kingdom on May 21. Saudia will be transporting pilgrims from more than 100 scheduled destinations and 14 seasonal destinations to airports in Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah, Taif, and Yanbu. The operational plan is to guarantee a smooth travel experience for pilgrims by offering them comfort during their trips, providing 8,000 cockpit and cabin crew who can speak a total of 42 different languages. Recently, Saudia Group concluded several agreements with various authorities to serve pilgrims in many countries as part of its endeavor to increase its operational share and bolster its reputation. Saudia has updated its in-flight Islamic content, with more than 134 hours of various religious programs and 590 hours of Qur’an recitations, in addition to many other Islamic programs available in several languages such as Arabic, English, Indonesian and Mandarin. It also offers a unique collection of educational e-books on how to perform Hajj and Umrah in more than 14 languages. Saudia Group has also expanded its Hajj season plan activities to include sharing awareness messages to pilgrims in their languages through Hajj missions, Hajj organizations present in Makkah and Madinah, and across Hajj residences. In these messages, the company clarifies all matters related to the pilgrims’ journeys, including details related to baggage limits and requirements in order to facilitate an easy pilgrimage. Moreover, Saudia Group aims to achieve operational efficiency while fully complying with safety standards, providing pilgrims with many further services including arranging the dispatch of zamzam water bottles to various destinations and providing additional flights for pilgrims wishing to travel to Madinah by air.