JEDDAH, 11 December — Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air-India will together operate 356 Haj charters from India’s 10 embarkation points this year. The Kingdom’s national carrier will operate 106 flights from Delhi, Bombay and Ahmedabad, while Air-India in cooperation with Indian Airlines will operate 250 flights from Bangalore, Calcutta, Calicut, Madras, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Srinagar as against 235 last year.
The first to arrive will be an A-I charter from Calicut on Jan. 15 and the last to land will be a Saudia charter on Feb. 16. Lucknow and Srinagar are the two additional embarkation points this year, while Cochin, from where pilgrims were transported last year, has been replaced by Calicut.
In all 120,000 Indians will perform Haj this year. Some 70,000 of them are coming through the Central Haj Committee (CHC).
Saudia will bring in a total of 30,500 Indian pilgrims. While all the pilgrims will arrive in Jeddah, about 16,500 of them will directly travel from Madinah to Delhi and Ahmedabad in the return phase. The remaining 14,000 pilgrims will fly back from Jeddah to Bombay. Air-India will transport the rest of the pilgrims.
Indian Consul General Syed Akbaruddin gave a demonstration of its pilgrim database at a press conference yesterday. It can be accessed on the Internet at www.cgijeddah.com and is designed to provide all updated information related to Indian pilgrims.
The database shows the schedule of flights, the full names of pilgrims, passport numbers, state code, cover number, and arrival and departure of flights. Their respective building and room numbers as also the building telephone numbers are to be included as and when they arrive.
“Whatever information we have about the incoming pilgrims can be seen on the website. No longer there is need for anyone to contact the consulate,” he said.
Haj Consul, Anwar Haleem, who was also present at the press conference, added that the pilgrim database is very comprehensive and is believed to be the first of its kind by any country.
“With the launch of the database, Indian pilgrims can now find out more than a month in advance, the details of their flights on which they have been manifested to fly for the pilgrimage. They can also find out the date and time of their return flight from Jeddah or Madinah more than two months in advance,” the consul general said.
Pilgrim information can be accessed from the database either by name of the pilgrim or the pilgrim passport number, or the cover number provided to the pilgrim by the various state Haj committees at the time of filing applications.
Once Indian pilgrims arrive in the Kingdom from mid-January onward, all details of their accommodation in Makkah, including the building and room numbers as well as the contact telephone numbers of their residential buildings will be available on the online database that will be updated every day.
“The database, which was first experimented with last year, proved to be extremely popular. This year, it’s being launched well in advance to ensure that pilgrims have the necessary information and can make adequate preparations for a smooth and well planned Haj,” Akbaruddin said.
