President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady have officially inaugurated the Makkah Route Initiative service, newly introduced for Maldivian Hajj pilgrims. The Maldives’ participation in the Makkah Route Initiative was inaugurated at a special ceremony held at Velana International Airport. The Chairman of the Makkah Route Initiative Committee and Advisor to the Saudi Interior Minister, Lieutenant General Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, participated in the special ceremony to inaugurate the Makkah Route Initiative for Maldivian Hajj pilgrims. A delegation including high-level officials from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Immigration also participated in this ceremony.
After inaugurating the Makkah Route Initiative service, passports were handed over to 4 pilgrims. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu handed over the passport to the first pilgrim. The Second Lady, Madam Sajida Mohamed, handed over the passport to the second pilgrim. The Chairman of the Makkah Route Initiative Committee and Advisor to the Saudi Interior Minister, Lieutenant General Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, handed over the passport to the third pilgrim. And the Chargé d’Affaires of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in the Maldives, Fahad Al-Dosari, handed over the passport to the fourth pilgrim. During the ceremony to officially inaugurate the Makkah Route Initiative service, the President and First Lady met with and bid farewell to the first group of pilgrims going for Hajj this year under the care of Hajj Corporation. The first group of 234 pilgrims departed today.
The Saudi Arabian government decided to include the Maldives in the Makkah Route Initiative on the 10th of this month. The Maldives has been included in the Makkah Route Initiative under the special directive of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, exempting the Maldives from all conditions set for selecting countries for this initiative and giving special consideration.
Major conveniences for pilgrims with the Makkah Route Initiative!
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has noted that the inclusion of the Maldives in the Makkah Route Initiative is a major advancement in the government’s efforts to facilitate services for Maldivian pilgrims under the guidance of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
The conveniences that will be available include:
- Collection of pilgrims’ biometric data, facilitation of electronic Hajj visas, and confirmation of health measures and safety precautions taken for pilgrims.
- At Velana International Airport, in the terminal where pilgrims depart, luggage will be tagged, registered under pilgrims’ names, and boarding passes will be available instantly.
- Through the terminal’s passport team, all procedures required for entry into Saudi Arabia will be completed before pilgrims depart from their own country, allowing them to go directly to the terminal for flights to Jeddah and Medina and board the plane without delay.
- Upon arrival at the designated terminal for pilgrims at Saudi Arabian airports, arrangements are in place for pilgrims to be immediately transferred to their assigned hotels.
- Without waiting at the arrival terminal, pilgrims’ luggage will be directly delivered to their hotels
The Makkah Route Initiative is an initiative included in Saudi Vision 2030, being implemented by the Saudi government under the Ministry of Hajj and Ministry of Interior since 2018. This is a special effort carried out under the supervision of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, giving special attention to arranging convenient measures for pilgrims.
