Saudia allocated 1.2 million seats for 2023 Hajj season

SAUDIA Group has revealed its operational performance, during the peak of the summer travel season, starting from May 21 until August 2, this year. This was inclusive of the 2023 Hajj season.

During the time period, Saudi Arabia’s national carrier allocated more than 1.2 million seats for Hajj pilgrims, operating 79,000 flights.

The airline’s fleet flew an average of half a million hours, helmed by 1,768 pilots and assistant pilots.

The Hajj season also saw the mobilization of the Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI), which dedicated a specialized team to support during Hajj season. This included the allocation of 112 maintenance stations operated by 1,154 technicians. In addition, SAEI supplied the airline with 3,896 different types of aircraft parts while the time spent on maintenance amounted to 50,700 hours.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Airlines Catering Company (SACC) delivered 5.4 million meals on planes, 83,400 meals on the Haramain High Speed Railway, and 357,000 meals as part of its catering services in the holy sites, during the Hajj season.

The Saudi Ground Services Company (SGS) provided handling services for more than 25,000 flights at the arrival and departure stages, which carried more than 2.18 million pilgrims. 

"The end of the Hajj season marks the beginning of our preparation for the next one, as all stages will be reviewed and evaluated in order to further improve the level of services and enhance our performance in time for the upcoming Hajj season," said Amer Alkhushail, chief Hajj and Umrah officer at SAUDIA Group.