November 10, 2009 14:50 PM

Saudia Handles 475,000 Haj Pilgrims From Asia

From Ahmad Kamil Tahir

MECCA, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Saudi Arabian national carrier Saudia is carrying nearly one million pilgrims for this year's haj, with the largest number coming from Asian countries, the Saudi Arabian English daily, Arab News, reported on Tuesday.

Saudia was operating more than 2,000 flights carrying 475,000 pilgrims from Asia and more than 300,000 other international pilgrims, the newspaper quoted Director-General of Saudia Khaled Al-Molhem as saying.

Al-Molhem said the airline also operated additional flights to different regions of the kingdom for domestic pilgrims.

He said Saudia would bring pilgrims from 81 international hubs, including 23 in Europe and Africa and 22 each in Asia and the Middle East.

"Saudi Arabian Airlines offers a bouquet of services to the guests of God including advance issuance of boarding passes for return flights.

"We also appoint crew members who speak the different languages of pilgrims and supply a variety of dishes that suit their tastes," he said, adding that the airline showed in-flight haj documentaries to educate pilgrims.

The newspaper also quoted Mecca Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal as urging government officials to receive pilgrims nicely and provide them with excellent services.

Prince Khaled said Saudi Arabia considered its services to pilgrims a great honour and wanted haj agencies to improve their services to pilgrims.

-- BERNAMA

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