On June 10, 2022 at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (Madinah Airport), Mr. Halim Waenalai, Acting Consul-General of Thailand to Jeddah and Consul Hajj, welcomed 284 Thai Hajj pilgrims on the inaugural flight from Narathiwat Airport. The arrival of the Thai pilgrims was fast and smooth due to the efficiency of the Saudi Arabian immigration procedure as well as the facilitation from staff of the Hajj Affairs Office of Thailand.
Thailand is expected to have 3,738 Hajj pilgrims this year traveling with 12 direct charter flights from Bangkok, Narathiwat and Songkhla to Jeddah and Madinah. The flights will be operated by both Saudia Airlines (3 flights) and Thai Airways International (9 flights).
To facilitate and protect the Thai pilgrims, two temporary offices of Thailand under the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Public Health have been set up in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah to coordinate with the Saudi Arabian Hajj related agencies. The Royal Thai Consulate General in Jeddah as a permanent representative of the Royal Thai Government in the western Region of Saudi Arabia will also collaborate with both Thai and Saudi Arabian public and private agencies to ensure the wellbeing of the Thai pilgrims.
It is worth mentioning that in 2019, the latest year of international hajj pilgrimage, Thailand sent 8,462 Hajj pilgrims.