Casablanca: The first flight of Makkah Route Initiative beneficiaries departed today from Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, Morocco, bound for Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the initiative facilitates pilgrims' entry procedures in their home countries. These procedures include biometric data collection, electronic Hajj visa issuance, passport processing, health requirement verification, and luggage coding and sorting. Upon their arrival, pilgrims are transferred directly to their residences in Makkah and Madinah via dedicated lanes.

Now in its eighth year, the initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with multiple government entities and stc Group as a digital partner. Since its launch in 2017, it has served 1,254,994 pilgrims.