KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) post-hajj operation of transporting pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan concluded successfully with an overall flight punctuality of more than 90 per cent. The last post-hajj flight reached Karachi on Wednesday morning.
PIA transported more than 68,500 hujjaj through 240 hajj and regularly scheduled flights from Jeddah and Madinah to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, Sialkot, Multan and Faisalabad stations.
It included 158 regular and 82 special flights. This includes nearly 28,868 hujjaj through hajj flights and 39,653 hujjaj through regularly scheduled flights to Pakistan.
PIA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Saqib Aziz has congratulated PIA hajj team members for successful completion of Hajj flights operation 2018. He praised the airline employees of flight operations, customer services, engineering, flight services, ground support and others for their valuable contributions. He said that despite certain constraints and sudden increase in a number of hujjaj from Quetta PIA was able to make it a success.
He said PIA completed its entire hajj operation without going for any wet-leased aircraft. During hajj season, PIA also conducted chartered operations to Africa to transport Pakistani troops for UN mission duties.
PIA operated 76 flights to Karachi bringing back 22,054 hajjis from Saudi Arabia, 47 flights to Islamabad with 15244 hajjis, 44 flights to Lahore with 13,610 hajjis, 25 flights to Multan with 4,790 hajjis, 09 flights to Faisalabad with 1,044 hajjis, 15 flights to Sialkot with 3,707 hajjis and 24 flights to Peshawar with 8,072 hajjis.
PIA also carried around 6,000 hajjis from Quetta on a private airline due to its inability to operate hajj flights in the city.