EgyptAir Set to Bring Home Pilgrims After Hajj 2023"

EgyptAir, the national airline of Egypt, has announced plans to commence flights for returning Egyptian pilgrims who participated in the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year, as per a statement released on Friday.

The airline is scheduled to run a total of 176 flights, aiming to accommodate lottery winners, participants from social solidarity organizations, associations, tourism groups, as well as individual pilgrims. The planned operations include 101 flights departing from Jeddah and an additional 75 from Medina.

This year's Hajj season, which began on June 10, saw approximately 45,000 Egyptian pilgrims journeying to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam.

According to EgyptAir, pilgrims from Palestine are slated to return between July 9 and July 12, while return journeys for pilgrims from Bamako and Mali are planned to be operational from July 3 through July 17.

Hajj, a pilgrimage obligatory for all Muslims who are physically and financially capable, involves carrying out religious rituals over a span of five days in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, and in certain regions of western Saudi Arabia. The 2023 Hajj season reportedly welcomed over 2 million pilgrims in Mecca and Medina.