Like other parts of the country, the Bacha Khan International Airport witnessed long delays in Hajj flights.
Flight NL 2107, carrying 325 pilgrims, arrived on Wednesday after a 24-hour delay, while another flight NL 2103, with 350 passengers, was 25 hours late, officials said.
Officials added that operational problems at Jeddah Airport had caused the delays. “They (officials at Jeddah Airport) only send us emails about the flights being late, but don’t tell us the reason behind the problem,” an official added.
They further said that there was no shortage of planes, and passengers were also given boarding cards on time.
Nearly 11,000 pilgrims belonging to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata will arrive on private airlines from Saudi Arabia. One such flight was expected to reach Peshawar at 10pm on Thursday, 30 hours after its actual time of arrival.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2012.
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