CAIRO - Nearly 2,100 Egyptian pilgrims returned home Saturday from Saudi Arabia after performing the Hajj, the annual spiritual journey to Mecca. "Some 2,094 Egyptian pilgrims have arrived at Cairo International Airport from Saudi Arabia aboard Egyptian and Saudi flights," a senior official at Cairo International Airport said Saturday, adding that the official local carrier EgyptAir had organised 323 flights for around 82,000 pilgrims till December 6. "The flag carrier is this year operating an airlift to facilitate the return of pilgrims without any delays," the source explained. A number of pilgrims thanked the ,Government for ensuring them a smooth trip home to the country. "For the first time, we finished our passport procedures at the airport while still inside the plane," one pilgrim said, adding that he was very impressed by what the officials did to make things easy for them. Around 2.8 million pilgrims have gathered in Mecca this year, including a record 1.8 million