JEDDAH: Emotions ran high in the departure lounge of King Abdulaziz International Airport on Thursday as Pakistani pilgrims prepared to return home following completing the Hajj pilgrimage.
According to APP, this year, about 160,000 Pakistanis performed the religious obligation under both the government and private Hajj schemes.
On the first day of a month-long post-Hajj flight operation, a batch of 1,723 Hajj pilgrims was scheduled to leave Makkah for different destinations in Pakistan, including Lahore and Multan.
First flight PF-723 left for Multan from Jeddah airport at 05:35 Saudi Arabia Standard Time (SAST) carrying 150 passengers; 2nd flight PA-471 for Lahore at 06:55 SAST with 190 pilgrims on board; 3rd flight PA-273 for Islamabad at 07:55 SAST carrying 200 passengers; 4th flight PA-173 for Karachi at 08:15 SAST with 180 Hujjaj; 5th flight PA-873 for Multan at 08:30 SAST with 180 passengers and sixth flight PF-719 for Islamabad at 10:50 SAST carrying 150 Hajj pilgrims.
Similarly, the 7th Lahore-bound flight PF-721 was scheduled to take off from Jeddah airport at 11:45 SAST, carrying 150 pilgrims; 8th flight, PF-715 for Karachi at 18:20 SAST with 151 passengers on board; ninth and the last flight of the day PK-842 for Islamabad at 20:50 SAST with 372 Hujjaj on board.
