Emirates adds extra flights for Hajj season and Eid Al Adha celebrations

Image credit: Emirates

Emirates is ramping up its operations in response to the start of the Hajj season and the upcoming Eid Al Adha celebrations.

To accommodate the significant travel demand during this period, the airline is adding extra flights to key regional destinations.

With the kingdom of Saudi Arabia lifting all Hajj travel restrictions for the first time in three years, Emirates is increasing the number of flights available to pilgrims travelling to and from the Holy City of Makkah.

Additional 10 flights have been scheduled to and from Jeddah, exclusively operated on Boeing 777 aircraft dedicated to Hajj pilgrims until July 7. These Hajj flights will run alongside Emirates’ existing schedule to the kingdom and are open to travellers with a valid Hajj visa who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 if they are above the age of 12.

Medina will also be served with daily flights during this period.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of the kingdom anticipates a total of 2.6 million pilgrims this year, reaching pre-pandemic numbers.

The additional flights provided by Emirates aim to support the smooth transportation of these pilgrims. Strong bookings for Hajj travel have already been observed from countries such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Mauritius and South Africa, the airline said in a statement.

Meanwhile in preparation for the busy travel period for Eid Al Adha, Emirates has deployed an additional 34 flights to popular destinations across the region. It is estimated that approximately 78,000 people from the region will be travelling with Emirates during the six-day Eid Al Adha break.

For passengers heading to the Levant, Emirates has added 10 flights to Amman from June 21 to 30, and another 10 flights to Beirut from June 20 to 29.

Within the GCC, the airline has scheduled five additional flights to Dammam from June 21 to 25, and nine additional flights to Kuwait from June 22 to July 2.

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