Miqat, and ihram on the plane

A miqat is a boundary a pilgrim must not cross towards Makkah without being in ihram. Five were set by the Prophet ﷺ, and anyone passing one of them, or flying over or level with it, enters ihram there.

The five miqats

Miqat	Also known as	For pilgrims coming from
Dhul Hulayfah	Abyar ʿAli	Madinah and the north (about 450 km from Makkah)
Al-Juhfah	near Rabigh	Syria, Egypt, North Africa, Europe by land and sea
Qarn al-Manazil	as-Sayl al-Kabir	Najd, Riyadh, the Gulf
Yalamlam	as-Saʿdiyyah	Yemen, and the sea route from South Asia
Dhat ʿIrq		Iraq and the north-east

People already living inside these boundaries, including residents of Jeddah, enter ihram from where they are. People in Makkah who want to perform Umrah go out beyond the Haram boundary, usually to Masjid Aisha at Tanʿim.

Flying into Jeddah: ihram on the plane

Every route into King Abdulaziz Airport passes a miqat before landing. Jeddah sits inside the boundaries. So if you are flying straight to Jeddah to perform Umrah, you must be in ihram before the plane crosses the miqat. That is often 30 to 60 minutes before landing.

Prepare at home or at the departure airport
Clip nails, trim hair, take a bath (ghusl) and put on the ihram garments before you leave, or in the airport prayer room. Women wear their normal modest clothing. Don't apply perfume to the garments.
Wear it, but don't make the intention yet
You can sit in ihram clothing for the whole flight. The restrictions only begin once you make the intention.
Listen for the crew's announcement
Most airlines flying to Jeddah announce the miqat. If yours doesn't, check the flight map or ask the crew, and make the intention a few minutes early rather than late.
Make the intention and begin the talbiyah
Say "Labbayka ʿumrah" and begin the talbiyah. From now on, the rules of ihram apply.

Intention for Umrah

Sunnah

لَبَّيْكَ عُمْرَةً

Labbayka ʿumrah.

Here I am, [O Allah], for Umrah.

At the miqat, in the heart. Saying it aloud in these words is the common practice.

Sahih Muslim 1232

Flying into Madinah first

If your trip begins in Madinah, you don't need ihram on the plane. You will enter ihram at Dhul Hulayfah (Abyar ʿAli) when you travel from Madinah to Makkah. Coaches and taxis stop there, and the Haramain train passes it, so many pilgrims put on ihram at the hotel and make the intention at, or as the train passes, the miqat.

Find flights from your city. Each route page shows whether you will need ihram on board.