Within the scope of the "Mecca Road" project, pilgrims will be able to complete all their procedures in a designated area at Ankara Esenboğa Airport before traveling to Saudi Arabia. Thanks to the facial recognition system installed at Esenboğa, pilgrims will be able to proceed directly to their hotels in Saudi Arabia without undergoing any procedures at airports. This will save time for pilgrims during their journey.
The opening ceremony of the project was attended by Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, Colonel Mansour Alotaibi, Director General of Hac and Umrah Passport Affairs at the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Ankara Fahad Bin Assaad Bin A. Abu Al-Nasr, and several other officials.
Pilgrims will not have to wait at Esenboğa Airport. A special section designated for Saudi officials was inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Ambassador Abu Al-Nasr guided Governor Şahin through the area where Turkish pilgrims will undergo the necessary procedures by Saudi officials. With passport controls and all necessary details handled before departing from Ankara, pilgrims are expected to save approximately 6 hours of time.
Approximately 20,000 pilgrims will benefit from the project. Time-consuming procedures such as passport and fingerprint checks, conducted by Saudi officials, will initially begin at Istanbul and Esenboğa Airports. Around 20,000 pilgrims will be able to move quickly at airports in Mecca or Medina. As capacity is expected to increase in the coming years, other major airports in Türkiye will also implement the Mecca Road Project, providing convenience to pilgrims.
