Madinah: The first flight carrying Makkah Route Initiative beneficiaries from the Republic of C´te d'Ivoire arrived in the Kingdom, departing from the initiative's dedicated terminal at Abidjan International Airport and landing at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the initiative aims to provide high-quality services to pilgrims from beneficiary countries by receiving them and completing their procedures in their home countries, making the process smooth and easy. These include collecting biometric data, issuing Hajj visas electronically, completing passport procedures at the departure airport after verifying health requirements, and coding and sorting luggage according to transport and accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom. Pilgrims proceed directly through dedicated routes to buses that take them to their accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, while partner agencies deliver their luggage.

The Ministry of Interior has been implementing the initiative for the eighth year since its launch in 2017. Since then, the initiative has served 1,254,994 pilgrims.