KARACHI, May 2 – Saudi Arabia has withdrawn the imposed restriction that barred individuals under the age of 15 from performing the Hajj pilgrimage, restoring the previous minimum age limit of 12, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Saturday.
The reversal comes just one day before the policy was set to take effect on May 3. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s decision effectively reinstates the eligibility of thousands of younger pilgrims who had seen their travel plans thrown into uncertainty.
“Visas that were rejected under the 15-year age restriction will be reprocessed,” the PAA said in a statement, noting that the Directorate General of Hajj had confirmed the policy shift.
The initial restriction, announced earlier this week, mandated that no pilgrim under the age of 15 as of May 27, 2026—corresponding to the Day of Arafat—would be permitted entry into the Kingdom. That directive had led to the immediate revocation of visas for younger applicants and prompted Pakistani authorities to issue strict boarding instructions to airlines and immigration counters.
Under the prior restrictive policy, Saudi authorities had offered full refunds to those affected. With the restoration of the 12-year-old age limit, officials now expect a surge in reprocessing to accommodate the younger travelers before the peak of the season.
Logistics and Flight Operations
The policy change arrives as Pakistan ramps up its massive seasonal transport operation. Approximately 119,000 pilgrims from Pakistan are scheduled to travel to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah under the government-sponsored scheme.
Pilgrim Demographics (Government Scheme):
• Male Pilgrims: 67,230
• Female Pilgrims: 51,846
Flight operations, which began on April 18, involve a complex network of departures across Pakistan’s major hubs. The PAA confirmed the following flight schedule to support the influx:
| City | Number of Flights |
| Islamabad | 129 |
| Karachi | 124 |
| Lahore | 104 |
| Multan | 34 |
| Sialkot | 26 |
| Faisalabad | 23 |
| Quetta | 18 |
| Sukkur | 5 |
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has instructed all relevant airport authorities to streamline the reprocessing of visas for those aged 12 to 15 to ensure they can join their scheduled flights without further delay.