The launch of a month-long pre-Hajj flight operation will see 11 flights arriving in Madinah on Thursday from major cities in Pakistan, bringing approximately 2,160 intending Hajj pilgrims.
Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, requires every adult Muslim to journey to the holy sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime, provided they are financially and physically able.
These flights will ferry pilgrims from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Peshawar to the Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (Madinah Airport), heralding a significant influx of devotees from Pakistan and around the world.
Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al-Malkiy will visit Islamabad and Karachi airports, operated under the Road to Makkah initiative, to bid farewell to Pakistani Hajj pilgrims bound for the holy land. The pilgrims will be received by authorities at the Pakistan Consulate General and the Hajj Mission of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The pre-Hajj flight operation, running until June 10, aims to facilitate the arrival of thousands of pilgrims in the holy city. Five airlines – Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Airblue, Serene Air, and Air Sial – will operate 259 sorties to transport around 68,000 intending pilgrims from eight major cities of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Quetta, Sialkot, and Sukkur, to Jeddah and Madinah under the government scheme.
According to the flight schedule, the first flight, PF754 (AirSial), is set to depart for Madinah at 01:45 am from Karachi, carrying around 150 intending Hajj pilgrims. The last Hajj flight, SV3727 (Saudi Airlines), will depart on June 10 from Islamabad to Jeddah, with 380 passengers onboard.
For the first 15 days, all flights will operate from various cities of Pakistan to Madinah until May 23, and thereafter, they will land at the King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, until the completion of the pre-Hajj flight operation.
This year, around 179,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under both government and private schemes. A month-long pre-Hajj flight operation is scheduled to commence on May 9 to airlift pilgrims to the sacred places of Makkah al-Mukarramah and Madinah Al-Munawarah in the Kingdom. Out of 179,210 pilgrims, 89,605 each will embark on the holy journey under government and private schemes, while a quota of 25,000 and 44,802 pilgrims, respectively, has been allocated for sponsorship schemes.
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