KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) first Hajj flight, 773, carrying 328 pilgrims, flew in the early hours to Madina from Karachi on Sunday.
Amanullah Qureshi, Chief Operating Officer of PIA; Imtiaz Shah, Director General of Benazir Income Support Program; Sajjad Haider, Director of Hajj Karachi, PIA and Civil Aviation Authorities officials saw off the flight, PIA spokesman said in a statement.
As per the first day of the Hajj operation, nearly 700 pilgrims are flying through inaugural flights to Saudi Arabia from Karachi, Faisalabad, and Islamabad.
PIA, Boeing hajj flights
PIA’s Boeing 777 and Airbus 320 were being used for Hajj flights.
In total, 320 special Hajj and scheduled flights would take 65000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
The hajj operation would continue till 22 June, while after Hajj, the operation of bringing back the pilgrims would start from 2 July and continue till 2 August.
The Hajj flights would be operated from Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sukkur, Sialkot, and Rahim Yar Khan.
PIA CEO had also issued directives to pilgrimage teams posted in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to provide the best facilities to the pilgrims.
