Only four days remain for bookings under the Private Hajj Scheme, as the Ministry of Religious Affairs will close its online portal on the night of October 17, after which no further bookings will be accepted.
According to sources, a total of 16,000 seats are still available under the private Hajj quota, and bookings will remain open until October 17. So far, 44,000 pilgrims have successfully booked their Hajj through the private scheme.
The sources added that, in accordance with the directives of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, the booking period cannot be extended.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has instructed private Hajj operators to complete bookings on time and has launched an awareness campaign to expedite the process. Written instructions have also been issued to private operators to ensure timely completion of bookings.
Over the past 25 days, private operators have managed to process around 23,000 pilgrim bookings, the sources said.
They further added that 21,654 pilgrims from last year will also be sent for Hajj this year, while the private operator quota has been reduced from 90,000 to 60,000 this year.
Currently, private operators are booking against a quota of 38,346 pilgrims, and the booking process for the private Hajj scheme had commenced on September 19.
