Saudi Arabia to develop ritual sites in Makkah
Riyadh, Aug 23 : Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced a comprehensive project to develop the ritual sites in Makkah, the media reported.
Mecca Governor Prince Khalid Al Faisal made the announcement at a press conference at the conclusion of the current Haj season.
He said that the details of the project will be announced soon and his country wants to increase the number of pilgrims to 5 million as part of its economic vision of 2030, Xinhua news agency reported.
The statistic authority announced this week that the number of pilgrims crossed the two million mark in this Haj season.
The governor said that his country doesn't stop citizens of any country from performing the Haj ritual, revealing that some Qataris managed to come to Saudi Arabia despite the ban imposed by their country. He added that 86,000 Iranians performed Haj this year.
Saudi Arabia has severed ties with both countries over allegations of supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of states.
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Regulator DGCA eases flight duty norms for pilots amid IndiGo crisis
Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources.
As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.
Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.
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"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.
The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.
#BREAKING: #DGCA relaxes a clause which debarred airlines to club leaves with weekly rest to mitigate #IndiGo crisis
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) December 5, 2025
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