First Hajj flight with 418 pilgrims off to Jeddah

The first Hajj flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying 418 Bangladeshi pilgrims took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital on Monday morning.

Civil aviation and tourism minister Rashed Khan Menon, religious affairs minister Motiur Rahman and high officials of the two ministries saw the pilgrims off at the airport.

The Biman flight took off at 7:55am.

Besides, three more flights with Hajj pilgrims will depart from the airport today. The second flight with 419 Hajj pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia at 11:55am while third one at 7:55pm with 419 pilgrims.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Hajj programme for 2017 at the Hajji Camp in the city’s Ashkona on Saturday.

A total of 177 flights will carry the pilgrims till August 26.

The return flight will start on September 6 and continue till October 5. The number of return flights will be 169. 

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will carry 50 per cent of Bangladeshi pilgrims while Saudi Airlines the rest of the pilgrims. 

Some 127,198 pilgrims will perform Hajj from Bangladesh this year under government and private managements. Of them, 4,230 pilgrims will perform Hajj under the government management.

From this year, flights carrying the Hajj pilgrims will also go to Madinah.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net