Key points
- Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs and Saudi Ambassador bid farewell to the pilgrims at airport
- Six flights are scheduled to depart from Pakistan on Tuesday
- 100 flights carrying 28,400 pilgrims will depart for Hajj from Islamabad airport
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan formally commenced its Hajj flight operations for 2025 on Tuesday, with the first batch of pilgrims departing from Islamabad to Madinah.
Arab News cited a PIA spokesperson as saying, “The first Hajj flight for this year, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-713 carrying pilgrims, departed under the Route to Makkah scheme from Islamabad International Airport today (Tuesday) at 4:45 am.”
Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki bid farewell to the pilgrims at the airport.
Special immigration counters
Overall, 100 flights carrying 28,400 pilgrims will depart for Hajj from Islamabad International Airport, for which seven special immigration counters have been established, according to Radio Pakistan.
The Hajj operation will continue till the 31st of next month.
Six flights are scheduled to depart from Pakistan on Tuesday, covering Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, and Multan, according to The Express Tribune.
Pakistan state-run news agency APP reported that the Hajj flight, carrying 150 pilgrims, departed from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport for Madinah on Tuesday.
Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique bid farewell to the pilgrims during a dignified ceremony.
