Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) began the mission to return more than 900 pilgrims to Pakistan on the first day of the campaign, which began on Sunday, in LAHORE.
Earlier in the day, flight PK-762 landed at Islamabad International Airport with 394 pilgrims on board. Talha Mehmood, minister for religious affairs, welcomed the visitors and gave every one of them a present upon their arrival.
He stayed at the terminal until every traveller had returned home safely.
Likewise, PK-760 brought 392 pilgrims to Lahore, where PIA Station Manager Ali Abbas Shah and Hajj Manager Mian Sohail Mehmood were waiting to welcome them.
In addition, Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori welcomed 361 pilgrims who had travelled from Jeddah on flight PK-832.
See: Millions of Muslims Attempt Hajj in Searing Heat
After the Hajj, the PIA intended to operate 268 flights to return 61,467 pilgrims. With these planes, the government’s 41,000 Hajj participants and the private sector’s 19,000 Hajj participants can all go together.
The aircraft will also bring home 600 khuddam from Madinah and Jeddah.
These flights service cities including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Peshawar.
The national flag airline is working hard to keep a departure percentage of over 90 percent for these flights to guarantee on-time departures. The Hajj Terminal in Jeddah was outfitted specially by the PIA to accommodate returning pilgrims, and support staff were on hand at both the Jeddah and Madinah airports to answer questions and offer assistance. Until August 2, the operation following the Hajj will be ongoing.
Under the government programme, the PIA would work with Airblue, Serene Air, and Saudi Airlines to ensure the safe return of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims.
The first unrestricted Hajj since Covid’s attack in 2020 attracted over 1.8 million pilgrims. Prior to the 2019 pandemic, an estimated 2.5 million people participated in the pilgrimage.
