Haj 2017 season begins with first pilgrim arrivals

The Haj 2017 season has begun, with the first flights arriving from Pakistan on Monday.
The first group of 329 pilgrims from Islamabad arrived at Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah.
The group was received by Sajid Yousafani, director general of the Pakistan Haj Mission; Asif Memon, deputy consul general; and Ashraf Lanja, joint secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The second flight from Pakistan, carrying 253 pilgrims, arrived in Jeddah. It was the first Haj flight to land at King Abdul Aziz International Airport.
Abdul Hakeem Al-Tamimi, chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), and other Saudi officials were present at the airport to receive the pilgrims.
Al-Tamimi greeted the pilgrims with gifts and flowers. Elaborate measures have been made at both airports to receive pilgrims.
Some 1,954 pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday under the government’s Haj program. The number of flights arriving at both airports is expected to increase in the coming days.