Thousands of pilgrims from the UK expected to travel to Mecca to perform Hajj

A dedicated Hajj team at British Airways will be supporting the thousands of customers who are flying with the airline to Jeddah to take part in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca over the next few weeks.  

The unique team will be on hand to assist customers at all times during Hajj, which started on 14 September and will take place until 23 September 2015. 

Team members will be based at the dedicated Hajj check-in area in London Heathrow’s T5, working with group leaders and individual customers to ensure their paperwork is in order and their journey can progress smoothly. 

The 11-strong team has many years of experience dealing with both the cultural significance of Hajj and the complex paperwork requirements of travelling to Jeddah during the pilgrimage. Visas need to be checked comprehensively and a complete manifest of Hajj customers sent on the flight to adhere to Saudi Arabian regulations. 

To suit the cultural requirements of customers flying with British Airways to perform Hajj, the airline has also designed special meals as part of its in-flight menus.

Paolo De Renzis, Head of Middle East, Africa and Central Asia Sales for British Airways said: “Many people save up for a lifetime in order to attend Hajj, so we want the experience to be special for them. 

“Over the years we have built up our reputation as a trusted airline to use during the Hajj period, as we always put our unique team in place.”

Travellers can make use of British Airways’ online check-in and prepaid seating, all of which are available during the Hajj period. As the majority of Pilgrims like to bring something home with them from the Holy Land, which on the return flight could be in the form a 10 litre container of holy (Zam zam) water, this is made possible by the airline’s special fares that allow an additional piece of baggage.

British Airways Hajj team member Graz Buttaci added: “We see the same group leaders every year and they like the consistency of seeing familiar faces. They appreciate the knowledge the team holds and the hard work they put in to ensure the experience is stress-free.”

Six million pilgrims are expected to make the journey to Mecca this year from countries all over the world.