First hajj flight with 419 pilgrims arrives in Saudi

Senior Correspondent: The first hajj flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines with 419 pilgrims has arrived in Saudi Arabria.

This year’s hajj flight began on Saturday as a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 7:52am.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister AKM Shahjahan Kamal and Religious Affairs Minister Principal Matiur Rahman inaugurated the Hajj flight at the airport.

Meanwhile, the second hajj flight BG-3011 took off Dhaka airport around 11:55am. Two more flights BG-5011 and scheduled flight BG-0035 are set to fly for Jeddah at 3:55pm and 8:45pm respectively.

The national flag carrier will operate the hajj flights by its own four wide-bodied Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

In two months, Biman will operate 359 Hajj flights including 298 dedicated and 61 scheduled flights.

The national flag carrier will operate 187 pre-Hajj flights (155 dedicated and 32 scheduled) till August 15 and 172 post Hajj flights (143 dedicated and 29 scheduled) from August 27 to September 25, according to sources.

It will operate nine and three hajj flights from Chattagram and Sylhet respectively this year.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will carry 63,599 Hajj pilgrims, half of the total 1,27,198 pilgrims of this year.

Of the total hajj pilgrims, 7,198 will perform hajj under government management, they added. Saudi Arabian Airlines will carry rest of the pilgrims.

This year Biman Bangladesh Airlines will give each pilgrim 5 litres of Zamzam water when they return from Saudi Arabia.
 

risingbd/July 14, 2018/Naymuddin/A K Azad