The first Hajj flights from Pakistan carrying pilgrims to Madinah have reached Saudi Arabia.
The first flight, PA-176, departed from Karachi to Madinah, carrying 179 pilgrims. Following suit, the second flight, PF-754, also departed from Karachi, transporting 151 pilgrims to the holy city.
Following close behind, Islamabad joined the procession as 200 pilgrims embarked on their pilgrimage through a third flight, PA-276, from the capital to Madinah.
Moreover, Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport saw off its first Hajj flight, PK-717, bound for Madinah at 10:32am after a few hours of delay due to the fire that broke out at the immigration counters. A total of 329 pilgrims were aboard the flight.
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A PIA Hajj flight is also scheduled to depart from Multan for Madinah on May 10, while the one from Quetta is poised to take off on May 11 via Karachi.
Sialkot will see a direct flight to Madinah departing on May 19. Furthermore, Sukkur will facilitate pilgrims with a direct flight to Jeddah on May 27, extending the reach of the pre-Hajj operations to various parts of the country.
The departure of Hajj flights from Karachi this year is being done under the 'Road to Makkah' project, wherein the immigration clearance for the pilgrims was carried out at Karachi airport instead of upon reaching Saudi Arabia.
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Eight immigration counters have been installed in the international departure lounge of Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.
Pakistan's Hajj flight operations would continue till June 10. As per an earlier scheduled shared by the Religious Affairs Ministry, on the first day of the operations, 2,160 pilgrims would embark on their spiritual journey through 11 flights.
According to a spokesperson, during the first 15 days of flight operations, all flights will be directed to Madinah airport. From May 24 to June 9, the majority of flights will be directed to Jeddah Airport, facilitating the onward journey of pilgrims to the sacred sites.
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On the first day, 680 pilgrims will depart from Islamabad through three flights, while 330 pilgrims will depart from Karachi via two flights. Additionally, 670 pilgrims will commence their pilgrimage from Lahore through three flights.
This year, around 179,210 Pakistanis are set to perform Hajj under both the government and private schemes, for which a month-long flight operation commenced on May 9.
