Some 6.3 million Umrah passengers passed through King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah during the past nine months, according to a statistical report released by the airport authorities.
Thursday marked the last day of pilgrims’ departure, noted the report received by Saudi Gazette.
Airport General Manager Abdullah Al-Rimi said that some 7,000 employees of various government departments served Umrah pilgrims this season.6.3m Umrah Pilgrims in Last 9 months
At the Haj terminal there were 14 halls that served pilgrims, 26 plane parkings, 10 portable bridges, 18 gates, 143 immigration counters, 12 counters for Haj committees, 224 counters for united agents offices, and 254 counters for travel and tourism representatives.
The airport also has two fist class and VIP lounges as well as a 123-room hotel. Restaurants and commercial services are spread on an area of 9.4 square meters. The airport also has 20 waiting lounges, 40 prayer halls and 32 toilet areas.
Meanwhile, well-informed sources said the Ministry of Haj and Umrah halted the issuance of Umrah visas indefinitely for the season since the 16th of Ramadan. The sources said that the Umrah season this year saw an increase of 6.99 percent from last year with 6,393,464 visas issued, an increase of 444,252 visas, while the number of pilgrims stood at 5,949,212 Umrah pilgrims.
According to statistics, Egypt came first with 1,303,067 Umrah visas, up 17 percent from the last Umrah season; Pakistan with 991,337 Umrah visas and Indonesia in third place with 699,612 Umrah visas.
The number of pilgrims coming from Turkey increased this year by 18,875 compared to last year, with total number of visas issued to Turkish pilgrims amounting to 473,672, making the country fourth on the list of countries in terms of the number of Umrah pilgrims.
Jordan came in fifth place with a total estimated visas of 434,479, while India this season added 77,077 Umrah pilgrims over last season, totaling about 409,639 Umrah visas.6.3m Umrah Pilgrims in Last 9 months
Algeria came seventh on the list with 371,949 Umrah visas, but second only to Pakistan in terms of the increase in the numbers of pilgrims, where the increase amounted to 28.51 percent.
The data showed that Malaysia obtained 26,005 Umrah visas, an increase of 10 percent, and in ninth position came the United Arab Emirates with 187,289 Umrah visas, an increase of 12,919 pilgrims.
Iraq recorded a drop in the number of Umrah pilgrims by about 10.22 percent compared to last season, with 168,406 Umrah visas issued.
The remaining countries recorded a drop of 26.91 percent in the number of Umrah visas issued.
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