A Ramadan 1448 peak operations plan for Umrah companies in Makkah

Ramadan is the biggest test of an Umrah company’s operation in Makkah. No single figure describes every company, so this is a working timetable rather than numbers: what must be settled at each stage, and who owns it. On the Umm al-Qura calendar, 1 Ramadan 1448 falls on 8 February 2027, with the actual date set by the moon sighting.

The preparation timetable

This table is a working suggestion to adjust to your size and contracts, not an official timetable:

Rooms: decide before the release date

An empty room early in the month calls for a different decision from one in the last ten nights. So review each allotment by period rather than in total, using the release date routine. And remember that any move to a substitute hotel must stay within a licensed facility and a documented contract, as the housing contracts guide explains.

Transport: plan for after the delayed flight

At peak one delayed flight can change a coach schedule and then a hotel check-in. Agree in advance who decides, who tells the driver and who tells the hotel. The guide to transport from Jeddah airport to Makkah details these steps. Also review entry times to Makkah and any movement restrictions the authorities announce for the season.

Teams: contracts and attendance before the first group

A seasonal employee who starts after the first group arrives is already late. Begin earlier with their file, contract, shift and training, and have attendance ready from day one, as the guide to seasonal staff in Makkah explains.

The daily review at peak

A short meeting each morning is enough if its questions stay the same:

1. Who arrives today and tomorrow, and do they have transport and a rooming list?
2. Which rooms are free tonight and tomorrow, and what is the nearest release date?
3. Which flights are late, and what did they affect?
4. Which incidents and complaints are open, and who owns each?
5. Who on the team is absent, and who is covering?
6. Which agent balances are nearing their limit?

Money: do not leave closing until after Eid

Ramadan’s workload tempts you to postpone invoices and reconciliations. But letting them pile up makes refunds and credit notes harder later. Set weekly time for agent statements and invoices, and review the e-invoicing requirements with your tax adviser.

Scenarios to prepare in advance

At peak there is no time to invent a fix. For each scenario, write down who acts and what they do first:

These scenarios are examples for internal organisation. For incidents and reports, follow what the authorities require.

Communicating with agents during the month

Regular updates to agents cut down on scattered messages. Agree before the month on one channel, a final date for accepting name and flight changes, and what the agent sends before arrival. Remind them that violations can reach both agent and company, as documented cases show. There is more detail in the overseas agents guide.

Right after Eid

Note the lessons before they fade. One meeting per team with these questions is enough:

• Where were we late, and what was the first sign?
• Which suppliers delivered and which did not, and what record shows it?
• How many rooms were returned or lost in each period of the month?
• What one change would save the most time next season?

How Umrah Link supports the Ramadan plan

Housing, transport & field puts the morning meeting’s figures in one place: hotel allotments night by night, a movement board for coaches, drivers and reception, and a field app for tasks, head counts and incidents that works offline.

From a group’s operations plan tab, its plan is generated in one step: transfers, its programme and its field tasks. When a flight is delayed, the ground trips that depend on it are replanned, and the new time shows on the driver’s link.

Explore housing, transport & field

Common questions