Saudia is preparing for the annual global Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The Saudia Group of airlines – Saudia, flyadeal and Saudi Private Aviation – has shared its operational plan for Islam’s 2023 Hajj pilgrimage to Islam’s most historic and sacred sites with 1.2 million seats offered by the group. The 2023 Hajj, according to IslamicFinder.org, is when the moon is seen again during the last Islamic calendar month of the Islamic year, which this year is from June 25 until June 30. The pilgrimage is a religious duty for Muslims if financially and physically able to make the trip to Islamic holy sites in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia.

How will Saudia help Muslims complete their Islamic pilgrimage?

The Group will fly Islamic pilgrims from over 100 scheduled destinations and 14 seasonal destinations worldwide to 6 Saudi Arabian airports - Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Medina, Taif, and Yanbu. According to ch-aviation.com’s database, Saudia alone has 133 aircraft on-hand.

The fleet ranges in size from the smallest of 36 Airbus A320-200s that, according to SeatGuru, either have 116 (20 business and 96 economy) or 132 (12+120) seats. The largest Saudia jetliners are the 34 Boeing 777-300ERs with 24 first, 36 business and 245 economy or 12 first, 36 business and 242 economy seats.

The jetliners will be staffed by Saudia Group’s over 8,000 aircrew employees that collectively can speak 42 different languages. Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI), Saudi Ground Services (SGS), and Saudi Airlines Catering Company (SACC) will all be operating at a high tempo to service pilgrims.

As Mr. Amer Alkhushail, Chief Hajj and Umrah Officer at Saudia Group said in a statement;

"Through our accumulated experience, capable employees, and our relentless pursuit to offer the best technical services that guarantee a smooth travel experience, SAUDIA Group is ready to implement a new Hajj plan.”

Logistic preparations

With the Hajj days away, the Saudia Group is preparing logistics for accommodating those 1,200,000 souls. The logistic preparations include everything from extra boarding passes to...

“...staffing King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (Madinah Airport) with navigators and employees fluent in the various languages; arranging the dispatch of Zamzam water bottles to various destinations; and providing additional flights for pilgrims wishing to travel to Medina by air.”

Also, the in-flight entertainment system has become more of an in-flight infotainment system as SAUDIA has preloaded more than 134 hours of various religious programs and 590 hours of Quran recitations into it. This is supplemented by multi-language educational e-books on how to perform Hajj and Umrah or pilgrimage to Mecca in all non-pilgrimage months in more than 14 languages.

Why the Hajj?

The Hajj is an important tenet of Islam, where Muslims can make the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia and reaffirm their Islamic faith. There are many holy sites there, including a black stone at the Grand Mosque of Mecca that has a special place in Islam’s holy book, the Koran.

Do you think SAUDIA Group is sufficiently prepared for the annual Hajj? Please share with civility in the comments.

Sources: ch-aviation.com, IslamicFinder.org, SeatGuru

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  Saudia

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  SV/SVA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Dammam Airport, Jeddah Airport, Riyadh Airport

  Year Founded:

  1945

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Ibrahim Alkoshy

  Country:

  Saudi Arabia