Pakistan formally began its Hajj flight operations by 2025 on Tuesday, with the first lot of 442 pilgrims who leave Islamabad to Madinah under the Makkah route initiative
The 33 -day operation will see more than 89,000 pilgrims travel under the Hajj Government scheme, with a total of 342 scheduled flights. The final flight is expected to leave on May 31.
The inaugural flight, PIA PK-713, started from Islamabad International Airport at 4:45 am, while the second flight of the day, Airsial PF-7700, transported 150 pilgrims from Lahore to Madina at 8:00 am.
Six flights are starting from Pakistan on Tuesday, covering Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and fine.
Addressing the pilgrims who come out, the Federal Minister of Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, urged them to respect Saudi laws and traditions, describing pilgrims as “Allah guests and Pakistan ambassadors.”
He also announced plans to visit Saudi Arabia to personally supervise the arrangements and promised full support for Pakistani pilgrims.
Yousaf expressed his gratitude to the custodian of the two sacred mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz to the Saud, and the heir prince Mohammed Bin Salman for facilitating the Pakistani pilgrims.
He added that each pilgrim has received a mobile SIM card equipped with a request for use guide during the pilgrimage, particularly in mine.
This year, around 89,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under the government’s scheme, while another 23,620 are expected to travel through private tourist operators.
Approximately 50,500 Pakistani pilgrims will benefit from the Makkah Route Initiative in Saudi Arabia, which speeds up immigration procedures by allowing travelers to complete their authorization in the airports of origin before leaving.
The initiative, launched in 2019, is currently operational in Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh. Under the Makkah Route initiative, 28,000 pilgrims will depart from Islamabad and 22,500 Karachi.
While the final global figures have not yet been confirmed, the projections suggest that Hajj 2025 could see record assistance of more than 2.5 million Muslims that meet for the pilgrimage.
