Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 5 May 2026, 2:24 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia has made the Nusuk smart card mandatory for all Hajj 2026 pilgrims, combining personal, medical, and accommodation data. The Nusuk app has surpassed 51 million users with over 130 digital services.
The first international Hajj 2026 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Malaysia, with 3.1 million seats across 12,000 flights allocated for the season.
Saudi Arabia has revealed plans for a new Makkah international airport, a metro system with completed feasibility studies, an AI crowd management programme, and integrated Saudia-Saudi Railways ticketing as part of a large-scale infrastructure overhaul of the Holy City.
Saudi Arabia requires all Hajj 2026 pilgrims to carry a valid quadrivalent ACYW meningitis vaccination certificate administered at least 10 days before arrival, with additional polio vaccine requirements for pilgrims from high-risk countries.
Saudi Arabia restricted entry to Makkah from 13 April 2026 to Hajj permit holders only and suspended Umrah permits from 18 April to 31 May 2026 as the Kingdom prepares for the Hajj pilgrimage beginning around 25 May.
Saudia has launched Hajj 2026 operations with 160 aircraft and over one million seats spanning 145 global destinations, as part of Saudi Arabia's total air transport plan of 3.1 million seats across 12,000 flights.
42 Indian pilgrims die in tragic bus accident near Madinah Arab News
44 Indian pilgrims die as Umrah bus catches fire near Madinah madhyamamonline.com
45 Umrah pilgrims from India die in Saudi bus-tanker crash; Rs500,000 compensation for victims' families Gulf Today
42 Umrah Pilgrims Die in Makkah-Madinah Bus Crash ProPakistani
Tragic crash kills 45 Indian Umrah pilgrims in Saudi Arabia hungamaexpress.com
45 Umrah Pilgrims From Hyderabad Including 18 From A Family Killed In Bus Accident In Saudi Arabia's Madinah ETV Bharat