Passengers arriving at the international terminal of King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will be in for a pleasant surprise, with the introduction of a new exclusive service to welcome them.
Under the “Hayyak” (Arabic for “welcome”) program, passengers will be greeted and guided to queues to process their immigration formalities by a large team of immigration officials.
Age-old immigration counters have been replaced with attractive counters to serve a larger number of incoming passengers.
Passengers with re-entry visas and others who have come to the Kingdom for the first time will be served in separate lanes.
Mufraj Al-Muqbel, chief immigration officer at the airport, told Arab News that the new setup is geared to offer a passenger-friendly service to arriving travelers.
“Our officers will do their utmost to help passengers get through immigration without delay,” he noted, adding that they would not be waiting for more than 15 minutes in immigration queues.
The number of counters have been increased to offer better services to the passengers.
“We have created a friendly atmosphere at the immigration,” he said. He said that airport authorities would continuously improve services upon feedback.
Passport officers at the Kingdom’s international airports now wear their traditional attire instead of green uniforms on an Interior Ministry directive.
The Passport Department has appointed trained graduates at the departure and arrival lounges at KKIA, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah to handle visitors, especially pilgrims.
MohsinTutla, a British national, who arrived in Riyadh on a British Airways flight on Sunday, told Arab News that he was delighted to see the new setup, which enhances the Kingdom’s image.
“I was so excited to see a team of smiling officers, not only guide me to my line, but also treat people with a sense of courtesy,” he said.
An Asian expatriate who was returning after his annual vacation welcomed the new service, which he said gives a homely environment at the arrival lounge. “We come from various corners of the world to work in the Kingdom and we deserve such treatment from a country where we spend the best of our lives,” Mohammed said.
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