The Union government has launched a new short-duration Hajj package for Indian pilgrims for Hajj 2026 to make the pilgrimage more convenient for the working professionals and businesspersons who cannot keep work aside for a long time.
The special package has come into force after constant demands of pilgrims for a shorter tenure in various slots without compromising on any religious protocol to be observed during the period of the visit.
The new deal will enable around 10,000 people from India to be able to carry out the pilgrimage within around 20 days, as against the traditional 40-45 days that people spend in KSA.
According to officials the move aims to provide easy access to Hajj for full-time professionals and businessmen, who frequently experience problems while getting long leaves from business or work while for Hajj purposes. Although it will be short, the authorities have promised all the rituals and religion duties of Hajj will be fulfilled.
The first flight on the short Hajj package will fly out of Kochi on May 17. More than 200 flights from cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad are also on the cards.
The short programme of the Hajj will be run from the 17th of May to the 5th of June, so that all pilgrims can make it back home much earlier than the usual dates. The decision is expected to boost the numbers of younger, more professional participants and first-time pilgrims in the next few years.