Sheikh Sultan bin Said al-Hiniai, Head of the Omani Hajj Mission, has shared that 23,490 Hajj applications have been received. In a report from the Oman News Agency (ONA) al-Hiniai is quoted as saying that 6,835 male and 6,357 female pilgrims have completed the procedures for going on Hajj.
"The Sultanate's approved share by the Ministry of Hajj in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is 14,000 hujjajs. The share has been
distributed as follows; 13,438 Omani pilgrims including 736 for the
official and military missions, 300 Arab pilgrims, and 262 non-Arab
pilgrims," he said according to the ONA.
Approvals for
Omanis are distributed across the governorates in proportion with census
numbers as based on the National Center for Statistics and
Information's initial data on population in 2016. Muscat's share is the
highest with 2,566 pilgrims originating from the city. Twenty-one cancer
patients will be going on the Hajj, and 11,728 are paying to go for the
first time. Another 1,147 pilgrims are there on a voluntary basis, to
accompany women.
The Omani Hajj Mission will leave for Makkah, KSA on August 19 comprising delegations from the Ifta and Religious Guidance, supervisors
of Hajj service providers, the medical, administration and financial
affairs officers, scouting personnel, Royal Oman Police, media and
Financial and Administrative State Audit Institution.
A team will be sent to Madinah to prepare to receive pilgrims beforehand. Sixty-one approved companies will transfer Omani pilgrims and three other companies will transport Arab expatriates. A further two companies will handle non-Arab expatriate pilgrims.