Thursday August 24th, 2017
Sharjah International Airport Authority organised a special event for “Hajj Season” on the 23rd and 24th of August. This comes in line with the airports’ efforts to provide a number of resources to facilitate the pilgrims’ travel procedures, including the allocation of smart gates and a special platform to check their passports.
The “Hajj Season” event was organised in cooperation with the Department of Awqaf in Sharjah. The department chose special preachers to answer the pilgrims’ enquires and to provide awareness-raising information about performing the rites of Hajj. In cooperation with the Ministry of Health, sugar and pressure tests were provided for the pilgrims along with some tips and instructions to protect themselves from contagious diseases. The clinic further underlined the importance of taking the required vaccines.
H.E. Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority, said: “Hajj season is considered to be one of the most important seasons that witness an active traffic in the airport, therefore, we strive to provide more facilities to achieve a comfortable travel experience for the pilgrims in cooperation with our partners. Our procedures this year included a special platform to register the pilgrims with the smart gates as well as a platform to check the pilgrims’ passports and also a free concierge service. We will continue to work on making Sharjah International Airport the best destination for departures and arrivals around the year.”
Sheikh Faisal bin Saoud Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Airport Authority asserted: “The Authority worked, long before Hajj season, on increasing the number of operating teams in the airport and assigning additional staff to facilitate and accelerate the travel procedures for the pilgrims which included the allocation of special lounges for pilgrims only. The Authority also organised this event to reflect its desire in making the pilgrims’ travel easier and faster by providing them with religious and health educational information to perform the Hajj rites with ease. His Excellency also asked Allah to accept the pilgrims Hajj and forgive their sins.
Many pilgrims expressed great joy in these moments, particularly that the services provided to them were perfect reflecting the care that the UAE in general and Sharjah in particular gives for the visitors of the house of Allah. The citizens, residents of the UAE and the arrivals from abroad passing through the airport showed the same keenness and attention as well. The pilgrims praised how easy the procedures were and how helpful the guidance to the special gates was from the moment they set foot in the airport.
Sharjah International Airport endeavours to keep raising the standards of the services offered to its travellers especially during peak seasons like Hajj. Such seasons require increasing the number of the additional flights operated by some airlines. The increase in the number of travellers during such periods also requires additional arrangements and facilities to insure the smooth flow of traffic at the airport.