Hajj flights take off with 350 pilgrims from Islamabad, 214 from Lahore

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan kicked off Hajj flight operations on Thursday with a Saudi Arabia Airlines flight taking off from Islamabad International Airport with 350 pilgrims and another private airline flying out from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport carrying 214 pilgrims.
In Islamabad, the departing pilgrims were welcomed at the airport by Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaz bin Said al Malki.
This year, 225,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj, while around 22,000 pilgrims will get pre-departure immigration clearance at the Islamabad airport under the Road to Makkah project, which is aimed at facilitating Hajj pilgrims from across the Muslim world. 
Pakistan was included in the project during a February visit to Islamabad by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, after which it was announced that all pilgrims traveling from Pakistan would be able to clear immigration at local airports in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar. Malaysia and Indonesia are also part of the project.
“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has special love and affection for Pakistan, and he manifested this love [for Pakistanis] through the Road to Makkah project,” Qadri said while addressing the ceremony at the airport.
He said the government had ensured the best possible accommodation and transportation facilities for all pilgrims arriving in Makkah and Madinah, and that dignitaries were at the airport to see the pilgrims off on the “special instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan.”
A Saudi immigration team that arrived in Islamabad earlier in the week had set up special counters at Islamabad airport to provide pre-departure immigration clearance to pilgrims. The facility is expected to be extended to other airports of the country in the coming years.
Speaking on the occasion, Saudi ambassador to Pakistan al Malki congratulated the government of Pakistan on commencing the Road to Makkah project.
“The project has been started to give the best facilities to Hajj pilgrims,” he said, “The Road to Makkah is a project to serve the guests of Allah.”
Hajj flight operations from Karachi and Peshawar are scheduled to begin on Friday. Pilgrims will also leave for Saudi Arabia from other airports of the country, including Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot and Sukkur. Pre-Hajj flight operations will conclude on August 5, while post-Hajj flights will operate from August 17 to September 14 this year.