Saudi Gazette report

JAKARTA — The passport authorities in Saudi Arabia have despatched female officers abroad to serve pilgrims coming through the Makkah Route Initiative for this year's Hajj.

The Ministry of Interior has published a video on its official account on Snapchat showing female passport officers at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah serving the pilgrims preparing to depart from Jakarta under the scheme.

Deputy sergeant Amal Al-Ghamdi and the first private Noura Saad Al-Ghamdi said they were chosen from the KAIA in Jeddah to participate in the Makkah Route Initiative and to serve the pilgrims from Indonesia at Jakarta airport during the 2022 Hajj season.

They said it was an honor to serve the pilgrims, noting that they were looking forward to playing their role in representing the Kingdom and the Saudi women to the fullest and in the best manner.

The Makkah Route Initiative, which is launched in Indonesia for the first time this year, is one of the initiatives of the “Pilgrim Experience Program” under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The initiative aims at completing pilgrims’ travel procedures, starting from issuing visas electronically, collecting biometrics and completing entry procedures at the airport of the country of departure itself after ensuring that they meet all the health requirements.

The procedures also include labeling and sorting luggage according to the transportation and accommodation arrangements in Saudi Arabia. This cuts down the waiting period at the arrival airport where the pilgrims will board immediately upon landing buses waiting to take them to their residences in Makkah or Madinah. Logistics agencies will deliver their luggage to their residences.

The first batch of Indonesian pilgrims who benefited from the Makkah Route Initiative landed at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah on Thursday. The pilgrims departed through the Makkah Route terminal at Jakarta International Airport.