Kualalumpur: The Makkah Route initiative's special Hajj flight operations from Malaysia were completed on Wednesday, giving many pilgrims their first direct taste of Saudi hospitality.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the annual pilgrimage, attracts 31,600 Malaysians this year.
With 284 pilgrims on board, the final Hajj flight left Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday in the afternoon.
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"I'm overjoyed. The last commercial flight departs today. 98 flights are scheduled for this Hajj season. Anuar bin Ahmad, the deputy director of field operations for Tabung Haji, the Malaysian Hajj pilgrims fund board, told Arab News, "We hope everything goes well.
"The Makkah Route project has been extremely beneficial. It is advantageous to have all of the pilgrims arrive in Makkah and Madinah early so that they do not have to wait around for too long. In addition, their luggage is all delivered directly to their hotels. We appreciate the Saudi government's initiative.
Saudi Arabia launched the programme in seven Muslim-majority nations, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, Turkiye, and Cote d'Ivoire.
The Makkah Route, which was introduced in 2019, enables Hajj pilgrims to complete all visa, customs, and health requirements at the airport of origin, saving them a lot of time. Pilgrims may enter the Kingdom once they have completed the visa and customs procedures back home.
Aazhimah binti Othman, a young doctor from Malaysia who will be making the pilgrimage with her husband, parents, and siblings, was one of them.
"It all started when my younger brother asked my father to sign up the entire family for Hajj a few years ago. We were able to perform the Hajj together this year, which was really unexpected, she said.
"With the Makkah Route initiative, the Hajj process has gone very smoothly. There wasn't much of a wait.
The most sacred sites in Islam will be seen by lecturer Zulhan bin Othman for the first time. His medical practitioner wife Wan Wahida Binti Wan Mohd Zodhi was concerned that he might get lost among the millions of people who will be in Makkah to perform their religious duty.
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But Othman claimed that the efficiency with which all airport immigration procedures were carried out gave him comfort.
"The Makkah Route project is truly fantastic. As if we were Saudi Arabian citizens, we can just proceed straight to our hotel, he said. "I appreciate the initiative from the Saudi government. My anxiety was definitely reduced.