The Ministry of Civil Aviation and its affiliated authorities and companies concluded the 1440 AH/2019 Hajj season with the return of about 110,000 Egyptian pilgrims from Jeddah and Medina airports directly to Egyptian airports, namely Cairo, Borg El Arab in Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan and Hurghada, as well as the return of transit pilgrims coming from the Holy Land via Cairo International Airport on flights operated by EgyptAir, Saudia and private Egyptian and Saudi companies, in addition to the return of pilgrims from Mali and Palestine, whom EgyptAir carried on 33 flights.
Lt. Gen. Younis Al-Masry, Minister of Civil Aviation, attributed the season’s success to the plan set in advance for this year’s Hajj season and the concerted efforts of all the bodies and companies affiliated with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, including the work teams of airports, air navigation, flight operations, cabin crew, stations, security, maintenance, ground services, loading, central reservations, the crisis management unit and public relations, for the facilities they provided to serve the guests of the Most Merciful, complete their travel procedures smoothly and easily, and provide the best care for the elderly, the sick and people with special needs during the outbound and return phases to and from the Holy Land.
This was in addition to the air-conditioned tent set up outside the Seasonal Flights Building at Cairo Airport in front of the departure and arrival halls, the shuttle bus service transporting pilgrims between the airport buildings, and the increased number of self-service trolleys in the baggage belt area and baggage drop-off areas at the Seasonal Flights Building.
Al-Masry added that the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s deployment of a number of passport officers and quarantine doctors on board some wide-body aircraft, who facilitated the pilgrims’ exit procedures from the airport, helped avoid overcrowding in the arrival halls and ensured the smooth flow of passengers inside the airport.
He praised the success of the Hajj season and its honorable outcome without obstacles, stressing that this success came thanks to the fruitful coordination and cooperation among all the ministries in charge of organizing Hajj, namely Interior, Foreign Affairs, Social Solidarity, Tourism, Awqaf, Health and Finance, as well as joint cooperation with the Saudi authorities to remove all obstacles facing pilgrims and complete their travel procedures from Egyptian and Saudi airports with ease.
