The Makkah Route – which allows pilgrims to benefit from immigration pre-clearance – is one of the initiatives of the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020 that is being implemented as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 to improve services for pilgrims and to facilitate their performance of Hajj. The process is under the supervision of an integrated Saudi team headed by the KSA Ministry of Interior.
Saudi and Malaysian officials attended the launch of the initiative at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where they witnessed the departure of the first two flights of pilgrims who completed their entry procedures for KSA before leaving their home country. More countries are expected to benefit from the service in the future.
According to Saudi officials, it took only 15 minutes to process the arrival of one group of 500 pilgrims.