The carrier has more than tripled its pilgrim traffic over the past three years. (pic: flyadeal)
Saudi Arabian low-cost airline flyadeal has launched its largest-ever Hajj operation for the 2026 season, with plans to transport almost 85,000 pilgrims from 28 cities across 12 countries to Jeddah and Madinah.
The programme started at the weekend, with the first flight from Guwahati, India, arriving at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport to support the spiritual journey to Makkah.
The carrier has more than tripled its pilgrim traffic over the past three years. To manage demand, the airline is wet-leasing A330neo wide-body aircraft to operate high-demand flights over the coming weeks.
“The Hajj programme is an incredibly proud moment for flyadeal serving a record number of pilgrims from different parts of the world at this special time of the year. It truly was wonderful to welcome our first Hajj flight from India over the weekend,” said Mohammad Alrajeh, flyadeal head of Hajj and Umrah.
“Having operated three successful Hajj seasons, our dedicated teams have spent months working tirelessly behind the scenes in coordination with our travel partners in the Kingdom and overseas to provide a unique end-to-end experience for pilgrims looking forward to this year’s flying programme.”
The 2026 schedule includes flights from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iraq, Oman, Syria, Turkey, India, Nigeria and Russia.
“Hajj represents fulfilment for Muslims around the world and we at flyadeal are pleased to be able to do our bit to support dreams and aspirations, especially for first-time Hajj pilgrims, many of whom are also travelling on a plane for the very first time,” Alrajeh said.
The seasonal expansion complements the existing year-round Umrah services and charter flights operated by flyadeal into Saudi Arabia.
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