At the meeting of Planning and Coordination Council of hajj and pilgrimage in Medina;
Latest statistics on the status of Iranian pilgrims/ Possibility of Hajj 1404 ends by Muharram 2th/ Reduction of flight delays

According to the Hajj Information base, referring to his recent trip to Mecca and visiting the holy Masha’r, Dr. Alireza Bayat said at the beginning of this meeting that the conditions of Iranian pilgrims in Mecca are as favorable as those in Medina, but we are trying to resolve some issues and make arrangements for things to improve, especially during the days of Tashreeq.

Head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage organization said about some of the problems faced by Iranian pilgrims and other countries’ pilgrims in Mecca: in some cases, pilgrims' NUSUK cards are received late, which given the 100% control of these cards by the host country, caused a limited number of caravans whose NUSUK cards were received late, to complete their rituals one or two days later. But thanks God, the remaining NUSUK cards were delivered last night, and 8,000 new NUSUK cards were distributed this morning.

Regarding the situation of pilgrim accommodation in Mecca, Dr. Bayat said that the condition of some hotels that were not suitable last year has been renovated and improved this year, and so far, no particular dissatisfaction has been reported from pilgrims about these hotels.

He also made some points about some of the initiatives and measures that the Hajj and Pilgrimage organization is pursuing to make Iranian pilgrims more comfortable during the days of Tashreeq.

Deputy Director of Management and Resources Development of the Hajj and Pilgrimage organization Hamid Reza Mohammadi also presented a report on the latest situation of Iranian pilgrims in Medina.

According to Mr. Mohammadi's report, including the 2,295 Iranian pilgrims who entered Medina today in 16 caravans, so far 36,589 Iranian pilgrims have entered the city of the Prophet (PBUH) in the form of 251 caravans and via 157 flights.

In various visits to Iranian pilgrims' hotels in Medina, there is relative satisfaction among the pilgrims; however, the issue of visiting the Holy Ruzah in the Prophet's Mosque (PBUH) has still caused problems, Mr. Mohammadi added.

Deputy Head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage organization emphasized: nevertheless, pilgrimage to the Holy Ruzah has been registered for all the caravans that entered Medina since Ordibehesht 26^th.

Referring to the new capacity that has been provided through the authorities efforts to send Iranian pilgrims to Hajj, head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Headquarters in Medina also said: currently, it is possible to send about 850 pilgrims (in addition to the previously announced capacity), and related measures are being taken for the reserve people.

Cultural deputy of Supreme Leader's delegation Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Hossein Rokn al-Dini also presented a report on the educational and cultural measures taken in Medina and Mecca, saying: in cooperation with some hotels, briefing sessions have been held for pilgrims, which are effective in performing duties correctly.

In another part of the meeting, Mr. Esmaili, head of the Supreme Leader Mission's inspection, while pointing out the improvement in several matters in serving pilgrims compared to previous years, presented a report on some shortcomings and matters that need to improve. The elimination of seven hotels with poor service from the accommodation cycle during the Hajj season of Tamattu 1404 and the elimination of rooms with a capacity of 5 beds were among the positive items that Mr. Esmaili mentioned.

Mr. Mohammad Masoumi, representative of Iran Air, also presented a report on the latest flight status in another part of the meeting, saying that so far, 171 Iran Air flights have been operated to transport Iranian pilgrims from Iran to the Land of Revelation, of which 130 flights have been to Medina and 41 flights to Jeddah.

He continued that so far 40,692 Iranian pilgrims have been transported to the Land of Revelation, with the destination of more than 30,000 pilgrims being the city of Medina and the destination of 9,716 pilgrims being the city of Jeddah.

The Iran Air representative also noted that, thanks God, the number of pilgrim flight delays has decreased and has now reached an average of 16 minutes, with some of these delays being related to the congestion at the destination airports.

By planning, we hope that God willing, the delays will be reduced to less than 10 minutes, Mr. Masoumi added.

He also noted that the return of planes from Jeddah and Medina to Iran was expedited by 3,050 minutes, which helped reduce delays from Iran to the Land of Revelation.

According to Iran Air representative, more than 48,600 bottles of Zamzam water have been transported to Iran by this airline so far, and the remaining water will be transported in the coming days.

Mr. Masoumi also said that a total of 71,568 bottles of Zamzam water will be transported to our country by Iran Air.

Referring to the ongoing consultations, planning, and coordination between Hajj and pilgrimage officials and the Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines, especially using the Taif airport and aircrafts such as the Airbus 330, he also said that there is currently hope that the Hajj operation will, God willing, be completed by Muharram 2th and that all Iranian pilgrims will have been transferred to Iran by that day.