Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airline’s Haj Operation commenced on Monday with flights departing from Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Islamabad for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Prime minister’s Special Assistant on Aviation Shujaat Azeem and senior officials of the PIA bid farewell to the intending pilgrims of the airline’s first flight from the capital.

Meanwhile the intending pilgrims of first Pre-Haj flight from Karachi was seen off by PIA Chairman Nasser NS Jaffer, Managing Director, Shahnawaz Rehman and senior officials of the airline at Karachi.

PIA Customer Services and Marketing Director Khurram Mushtaq saw off the intending pilgrims from Lahore while Advisor to PIA chairman Rana Mohammad Imran saw off the intending pilgrims from Peshawar.

The airline will be transporting more than 55,800 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia of which nearly 43,600 will be carried through 148 Pre-Haj flights to Saudi Arabia while more than 12,200 intending pilgrims will be carried through the airline’s regular scheduled flights to Saudi Arabia.

PIA is conducting Haj operation with fleet consisting of Boeing 777, Airbus 310 and Airbus 330 aircraft and is operating Pre-Hajj flights from seven major cities of Pakistan namely Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan and Sialkot.

This year PIA scouts will be deputed for assisting the intending pilgrims at airports in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Leaflets containing information regarding baggage allowance, excess baggage, change of booking and related information have already been sent to Haj camps, PIA ticketing offices and the airline’s travel agents for distribution to the pilgrims.