Hajj flights: Business Class seats only for the elderly

Decision aims to facilitate senior citizens, allowing them the benefit of extra services without additional charges

ISLAMABAD: The national flag carrier has now decided to disallow discretionary powers for allotting business-class seats to influential passengers. These seats will now only be allotted to senior citizens and pilgrims.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by Adviser to the PM on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan which was held on Wednesday to discuss the current Hajj flight operations.

The decision is aimed at facilitating senior citizens, allowing them the benefit of extra services without additional charges.

As many as 179,210 intending pilgrims from Pakistan will perform Hajj this year after an agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia for enhanced quota. The Hajj flight operations will start from the morning of July 24 and will last till August.



Meanwhile, an official told The Express Tribune: “This time all senior citizens will automatically get a seat in business class at same rates.”

PIA would check the passengers’ ages and automatically allot him or her a seat in the business class, he said.

“During Hajj flights, no VIP or influential person will be allocated a seat in the business class and no such request will be entertained,” said the official.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, there were a number of pilgrims who are above 100 years of age who would be performing Hajj this year.



Terming the discretionary power to allot business class seats unreasonable, the PM’s Adviser directed PIA’s Chief Commercial Officer to ensure provision of business class seats to aged pilgrims on a priority basis.

He also directed the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer to set up complaint cells at all airports and address pilgrims’ problems and officials should actively man all help lines.

“Record must be maintained for all these efforts to address all complaints,” he said.