PHOTO: INP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has started its Hajj operation with flights departing from Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Islamabad for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The national carrier will be transporting more than 55,800 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia of which nearly 43,600 will be carried through 148 special pre-Hajj flights. An additional 12,200 intending pilgrims will be carried through the airline’s regular scheduled flights to the kingdom.
Read: Hajj policy 2015: Pilgrimage charges revised downwards
Special Assistant to PM on Aviation, Shujaat Azeem and senior PIA officials bid farewell to the first flight of intending pilgrims from Islamabad PK 6011 on Monday evening.
The intending pilgrims of first pre-Hajj flight from Karachi PK 6009 was seen off by Chairman PIA, Nasser NS Jaffer and Managing Director PIA, Shahnawaz Rehman. Khurram Mushtaq meanwhile saw off the pilgrims of flight PK 6003 from Lahore. The intending pilgrims of flight PK6005 from Peshawar were seen off by Adviser to Chairman PIA, (AVM) Rana Mohammad Imran.
PIA announced that it will be conducting Hajj operation with fleet consisting of Boeing 777, Airbus 310 and Airbus 330 aircraft.
The flights will be carrying intending pilgrims from seven airports including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan and Sialkot.
Read: Facilitating pilgrims: Tracking family members with the Hajj Guider
The pre-Hajj operation will conclude on 17 September 2015. While the airline’s Post Hajj operation of bringing back Hajjis will commence from 27 September and will conclude on 28 October 2015.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2015.
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