Saudia Airlines, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has signed an acceptance of the offer to provide hajj charter flights to Malaysian pilgrims for the next three years.
Saudia Airlines chief executive officer Captain Ibrahim Koshy said the airline would fly up to 50 per cent of Malaysian pilgrims in stages.
“This started from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang (KLIA) directly to King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah,” said Ibrahim.
Saudia Airlines has paid great attention to the hajj and umrah sector by having an established department that works solely to provide the best services to hajj and umrah pilgrims.
The airlines aim to acquire the highest possible market share of pilgrims, choose markets of high travel demand, make contracts, and liaise with the official organisations and entities concerned with organising hajj and umrah trips for their citizens.
Saudia will be utilising the spacious Boeing B787-9 aircraft with 298 seats, and the national carrier will provide the best service to ensure the pilgrimage experience begins as soon as they step into the aircraft.
Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) executive director Datuk Sri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said TH, as the sole governing body of Malaysia, is entrusted to provide various comprehensive facilities and services for comfort and welfare of Malaysian pilgrims.
Syed Saleh said the offer to Saudia Airlines between 2022 and 2024 strengthens the deep bilateral relationship between the Malaysian government and the Saudi Arabian government.
“This hajj charter flight arrangement is TH’s continuous effort to ensure air transportation is in place to ferry Malaysian pilgrims to the Holy Land in preparation if the Saudi Arabian government allows foreign pilgrims to perform hajj this year,” he added.
New Strait Times
