ISLAMABAD: The first Hajj flights from Pakistan took off early Sunday from the Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad cities carrying more than 700 pilgrims aboard, Pakistani authorities said, as the South Asian country formally began its Hajj flight operation.
Hajj is an obligatory religious ritual for adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable, which involves visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah at least once in their lifetime during the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar, known as Dhu Al-Hijjah.
This year, Saudi Arabia has reinstated Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and scrapped the upper age limit of 65. Around 80,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform Hajj this year under the government scheme, while the rest will be facilitated by private tour operators, according to the authorities.
Officials of Pakistan’s Hajj program and civil aviation saw off the Pakistani pilgrims ahead of the first Hajj flight, PK-773, that left for Madinah from Karachi at 4:50am on Sunday. The flight was carrying 316 pilgrims.
“Pilgrims thanked the dedicated staff for the facilities provided at Hajji Camp, Karachi and described them as exemplary,” the Pakistani religious affairs ministry said.
“The first Hajj flight will land at Madinah Munawarah Airport at 7:10 Saudi Arabia time.”
Pakistani pilgrims attend a briefing by Pakistan’s Hajj mission and Civil Aviation Authority at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, on May 20, 2023. (Civil Aviation Authority)
The second Hajj flight, ER-2921, took off from the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore at 5am, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said. It carried 279 pilgrims.
The third flight, PK-1341, left Faisalabad for Madinah at 9:20am with 149 passengers on-board. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and other officials saw off the pilgrims at the airport.
“In this regard, all necessary arrangements were made in the domestic departure lounge reserved for Hajj flights,” the PCAA spokesperson said.
Another Hajj flight will depart from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad at around 9:15pm Pakistan time on Sunday night, according to authorities.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s religious affairs minister Senator Talha Mahmood and Saudi ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki also formally launched the Makkah Route Initiative to facilitate over 26,000 Pakistani pilgrims at the Islamabad airport.
Under the scheme, Hajj pilgrims go through immigration process at the airports of their own countries before departing for Saudi Arabia.
The last flight carrying Pakistani pilgrims would leave for Saudi Arabia on June 21, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.
