Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today inaugurated the Makkah Route Initiative terminal at Brunei International Airport in Brunei Darussalam, in the presence of Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Badaruddin bin Haji Othman, Advisor to the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Makkah Route Initiative Lieutenant General Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, and Saudi Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Saleh bin Abdulkarim Al-Shiha.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the initiative is designed to provide a seamless, high-quality Hajj experience by completing all entry procedures in pilgrims' home countries. This includes the electronic issuance of Hajj visas, passport control, and verification of health requirements at departure airports. Additionally, luggage is coded and sorted according to accommodation arrangements in Saudi Arabia, allowing pilgrims to board dedicated buses upon arrival in Makkah and Madinah without waiting at baggage claim.

Since its launch in 2017, the Makkah Route Initiative has served 1,254,994 pilgrims. The project is a collaborative effort involving the ministries of foreign affairs, health, Hajj and Umrah, and media, alongside the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, the General Authority for Awqaf, the Pilgrim Experience Program, and the General Directorate of Passports, in partnership with stc Group as the primary digital enabler.