600,000 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia so far for this Hajj season, half of them in Mecca and the rest in Medina, Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday.

The Hajj Ministry has assigned 40,000 workers to serve the pilgrims this Hajj season, Undersecretary of Hajj Affairs Hattem Qadhi told the agency.

He said the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina received more than 96 Hajj flights on Friday, and that the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah receives more than 100 flights on a daily basis.

Saudi Arabia is expected to receive fewer pilgrims this year as it plans to cut of foreign pilgrims by 20 percent and domestic pilgrims by 50 percent due to the expansion work at the grand mosque in Mecca.