Number of Umrah Pilgrims Exceeds 196,000

According to the Hajj Information Base, in the meeting of the Planning and Coordination Council of the Supreme Leader's Delegation and the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, which was held under the chairmanship of Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Abdolfattah Navvab, Nasrollah Farahmand, CEO of the Umrah Saadat Institute, pointed out that with the end of Ramadan and the lifting of some travel restrictions in the city of Mecca, better conditions have been provided for Umrah pilgrims to attend the Grand Mosque and provide better services to pilgrims, and added, "By the end of the Umrah operation, which will be on Farvardin 19, about eight thousand more people will be sent to the Land of Revelation."

Noting that the delay in Iran Air flights has created some problems and concerns for pilgrims and those involved in Umrah trips, he said, "In the aviation issue, measures must be devised to increase the satisfaction of pilgrims in Umrah after the Hajj Tamattu, whose number will increase by about two times, and to eliminate delays."

Alireza Bayat, the head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, also asked the CEO of the Umrah Saadat Institute to reduce the payments to the company and pay compensation to pilgrims who had difficulty in transferring and reducing their stay in the land of revelation due to delays in Iran Air flights.

The representative of the Supreme Leader for Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs also emphasized respecting the rights of pilgrims and providing appropriate conditions and facilities for greater spiritual benefit during Umrah trips, and called for taking appropriate measures to provide Umrah flights after Hajj Tamattu with the support of Iran Air.

In the continuation of this meeting, Akbar Rezaei, Deputy Director of Hajj and Umrah of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, referred to the agreement of the host country to use Taif Airport at the beginning of the transfer and return operations of the upcoming Hajj pilgrims, and said: Iran Air is considering using this possibility and has not yet responded.

The representative of the Supreme Leader for Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs also emphasized that given that this opportunity affects the speed of the transfer and return of pilgrims, this issue should be considered and followed up.

In the continuation of this meeting, Morteza Aghaei, Deputy of Shrine Affairs of the Hajj Organization, announced the dispatch of more than 32,280 people to Iraq from Esfand 23,1403 to  Farvardin 8, 1404 as part of the Nowruz Shrines period and said: With the efforts made, about 7,680 of this number were dispatched by air.

This meeting continued with a report by Hamid Reza Mohammadi, Deputy of Management and Resources Development of the Hajj Organization, regarding the follow-up to secure currency for pilgrimages to the shrines and Hajj Tamattu, and by Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Hossein Rukn al-Dini, Deputy of Cultural Affairs of the Supreme Leader's Delegation, regarding cultural programs and activities in the Holy Shrines and the cities of Mecca and Medina on the occasion of the turn of the year and the Nights of Power.

The Supreme Leader's Deputy for Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs asked the Cultural Affairs Department to make appropriate plans for the upcoming Hajj, in accordance with the Supreme Leader's recommendation in his Nowruz message regarding studying and paying attention to Nahjul-Balagha, so that pilgrims can become more familiar with this precious book and benefit from it.