The first flight for Hajj pilgrims departed from Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-713, with 442 passengers, headed for Madinah. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf, Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Al-Malki, and PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat were present to bid farewell to the pilgrims.
Additionally, the first Hajj flight from Quetta, PIA flight PK-7201, took off at 10:00 AM, carrying 170 pilgrims. Lahore’s first flight, PK-747, is set to depart later at 10:00 PM, transporting 323 passengers. These flights are part of PIA’s plan to operate direct Hajj flights from multiple cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, and Quetta.
PIA will run over 117 special flights to transport around 35,200 government-sponsored pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The pre-Hajj operation will continue until May 31, with the post-Hajj operation starting on June 10 and ending on July 10. In total, 342 flights will be conducted under the government Hajj scheme, with 89,000 pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land.
Meanwhile, a Saudi delegation has arrived at Jinnah International Airport to facilitate Hajj travel. The delegation will set up eight counters to process pilgrims. Over the next 33 days, pilgrims will be flown to Madinah before continuing their journey to Makkah. The final Hajj flight from Pakistan is scheduled to depart on May 31.