The first official Hajj flight of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) left for Saudi Arabia from the federal capital in the wee hours of Thursday, signalling the national flag carrier’s start of a massive Hajj operation to Saudi Arabia from ten cities of Pakistan, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Sukkur, Multan and Rahim Yar Khan.
The PIA flight PK-2503 left for Saudi Arabia from the Benazir International Airport with 328 intending pilgrims on board at around 4:25 am. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousuf saw off the intending pilgrims from the Benazir International Airport.
Hajj flights from Karachi and Lahore, carrying 320 and 220 intending pilgrims, respectively, also left for Saudi Arabia on Thursday morning.
In all, at least 868 intending pilgrims from Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore departed on different flights on Thursday to perform Hajj.
Another private airline flight left Karachi, taking at least 320 pilgrims, for Madina during the wee hours of Thursday. From Lahore, another plane of a private airline took 220 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
More than one lakh intending pilgrims will go to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year as the Hajj operation will continue until the first week of September.