Daily Times

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced the commencement of Hajj flight operations from May 9th to June 9th for the year 2024. Tomorrow marks the historic departure of the first Hajj flight from Islamabad, set to take pilgrims to Madinah.

According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, during the initial 15 days of the operation, all flights will touch down directly at Madinah Airport. Subsequently, from May 24th to June 9th, most flights will land at Jeddah Airport. On the inaugural day, a total of 11 flights will transport 2,160 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

Islamabad will see off 680 pilgrims across three flights, while Karachi and Lahore will dispatch 330 and 670 passengers respectively through their allocated flights for the Holy Hijaz.

Multan and Sialkot will contribute to the journey with 329 and 151 pilgrims respectively, initiating their Hajj pilgrimage through designated flights. The Hajj flight operation will see its kickstart from Quetta on May 11th and Sukkur on May 27th.

In total, over 68,000 official Hajj pilgrims are expected to make the journey to Saudi Arabia through 259 dedicated Hajj flights. The operation will conclude on June 9th, with the first return flight scheduled to bring pilgrims back home on June 20th.