JEDDAH — The King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah has received more than 850,000 foreign pilgrims thus far. The arrival of pilgrims began on Dhul Qada 1 (Aug. 4) and ended on Tuesday, Dhul Hijjah 4 (Sept. 6). A total of 14 passenger lounges at KAIA's Haj and Umrah Terminal were readied to receive the guests of God, providing them with necessary facilities. "All counters at the terminal were designed to satisfactorily serve the pilgrims," said a KAIA official. "This system, which was introduced in cooperation with government and private agencies, offers a lot of flexibility in the movement of pilgrims," the official told Al-Hayat Arabic daily. The terminal can receive 3,800 pilgrims per hour. "We allocated 13 lounges for incoming pilgrims and one counter to deal with those aboard Saudia flights who wanted to continue their journey to Madinah," said the official who requested anonymity. The terminal has 10 jet bridges for passengers to reach the lounges from the aircraft in addition to 14 aircraft parking lots that are not connected with passenger lounges. There are 10 conveyor belts to carry baggage of pilgrims and four customs zones with 16 checking spots. As many as 142 immigration counters were provided at the terminal's five lounges to complete immigration procedures of pilgrims quickly. The first lounge has 22 counters, the second and third lounges have 48 counters each and the fourth one has 24 counters. The fifth lounge is designated for VIP pilgrims, the official explained. Meanwhile, the Health Affairs Department in Jeddah said it has completed all preparations to receive pilgrims from different countries at the airport and provide them with necessary preventive treatment services offered by a number of doctors, nurses and other staff members. "We have deployed 97 employees at Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) to provide healthcare services to pilgrims," a department official told the Arabic daily. Nearly 15,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive at the port, which is the second gateway of pilgrims after the airport in Jeddah. The health department's services include provision of vaccination against infectious diseases, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and provision of surgeries. Meanwhile, the Haj Ministry has readied 18,000 buses for transporting 1.5 million foreign pilgrims including 1,696 new buses. A number of old buses have been removed from the Haj fleet to ensure security of pilgrims. The buses provide 25,000 jobs to Saudis. The ministry has supplied a number of golf carts at the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah as well as at Jeddah and Madinah airports to transport elderly and sick pilgrims. Ten transport companies supply 19,422 huge buses with a total of 985,495 seats. They are backed by 18 maintenance centers.
