The service was initiated during last year’s Haj to help pilgrims in case of accidents or emergencies. It was also implemented during the holy month of Ramadan this year to serve the huge numbers of Umrah performers.

“The program’s strategy is to accompany the pilgrims from the moment they arrive at the airport, so we will be available at all locations to help them as soon as they need us,” said Al-Jawfi.

According to Al-Jawfi, all air ambulances are now ready on the roads that link King Abdulaziz International Airport with the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

“Air and land ambulances will cooperate during Haj to swiftly transfer sick and injured people to hospitals. For example, there will be three main helicopters — one in Makkah, another in Arafat, and a third in Madinah,” the director said.

“On the day of Dul Hijjah 7, all our teams and air ambulances will move to Arafat,” Al-Jawfi said, adding that the air ambulances would not be used in all cases.

“The medical team will discuss each case and helicopters will only be used in certain instances.”

The third phase of the SRCA’s program starts on Dul Hijjah 13, when all pilgrims finish their rituals and return to Makkah. “In this phase, our team will also accompany the pilgrims everywhere they move,” said Al-Jawfi.

There will be five medical helicopters in use during Haj, which will serve the holy sites and ring roads around Makkah and Madinah.

Besides the helicopters, about 150  personnel, including pilots, doctors, engineers and technicians, will be on hand around the clock.

“We are trying our best to learn from our experience last Haj. That’s why we divided the plan into three stages. The first stage is to cover the roads that lead to Makkah and Madinah, the second is to cover the holy sites, while the third stage is set to cover pilgrims until they return to their home countries,” said Al-Jawfi.

He said no mistakes were committed during last year’s Haj, but this year the SRCA tried to increase people’s awareness about the air ambulance.

“We increased our media campaigns to make people aware of how to behave when accidents happen. For example, during last Haj, pilgrims gathered around places of accidents, making our task more difficult,” said Al-Jawfi.

The program has been launched under the supervision of the General Authority for Civil Aviation. Members of the public can report emergencies to the Saudi Red Crescent Authority by calling 997.