RE: Yap it is correct you cant go via Riyadh if you are coming by Air but if you are coming by Road from Dubai or Qataryou can pass through Riyadh.You can talk to Air line to make a transit with out immigration to go to Jeddah through Riyadh but you cant check out in Riyadh it is not allowed.
I will not be leaving the airport, only boarding my connecting flight through the SAME terminal.
Apparently, this is a problem.I received this email from IATA,(which publishes the guidelines airlines must follow):
"Please be informed that based on the instructions we received from the Immigration authorities in Saudi Arabia this morning, Timatic has been updated to read the following about points of entry for pilgrims:
- WARNING FOR PILGRIMS!
a. Pilgrims arriving (on special pilgrim flights or normal
scheduled flights and regardless of season) on:
- foreign carriers: must enter (i.e., proceed through
passport control) only via Jeddah (JED); or
- Saudi Arabian Airlines: must enter (i.e., proceed through
passport control) only via Jeddah or Madinah (MED).
However, those holding Hajj visas are permitted to arrive in
Saudi Arabia through Dammam (DMM) or Riyadh (RUH) on their
way to Jeddah or Madinah, without completing the immigration
process at Dammam or Riyadh.Passenger will be escorted to
their connecting flight to Jeddah or Madinah and upon
arrival in Jeddah or Madinah passenger will be required to
clear immigration (at the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah)."
Then two hours later, I received another email:
for Haj passengers, the instruction is cleared as before that no Haj passengers are permitted to transit through RUH or DMM and carriers will be fined if bringing Haj pilgrims through RUH or DMM.
Reasons behind this as understood is that Haj procedures should be done through JED or MED airports only, and carriers have to arrange their pilgrims trips on direct flights to the two airports only (JED/MED) and transit or connecting flights for pilgrims are not permitted at all through RUH or DMM because pilgrims might face at some occasions unexpected situations such as flights delays and missing connection of flights to JED or MED which put them under embarrassing situations such as difficulties in finding connecting flight booking on domestic sector, therefore, no transit arrangements should be made for pilgrims through RUH or DMM airports in order to avoid irregularities in handling Haj passengers.
I do not understand why it took so long to confirm that we can transit via Riyadh, but only to two hours to reverse this confirmation!I urge you all to contact the Ministry of Hajj to open Riyadh for American Hajjis, as this prove to be of great benefit to our Ummah, Insha'Allah.
Their email is contact@hajjinformation.com
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