On May 9, Pakistan began offering Hajj flights to travelers who would be doing the pilgrimage as part of the government program.
According to a statement from PIA, “a total of 35,030 pilgrims departed for the holy journey through 171 flights.” “With these flights, about 19,500 official pilgrims, 14,900 private pilgrims, and 630 pilgrims left for Madinah and Jeddah.”
Hajj planes left immediately from Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, and Karachi; pilgrims from Quetta and Sukkur proceeded via Karachi to Jeddah.
Pakistan has set aside 179,210 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj; approximately 70,000 of these are anticipated to travel through official government programs, with the other pilgrims using private tour operators.
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The post-Hajj operation of PIA is scheduled to commence on June 20 and run through July 21.
One of the five pillars of Islam is the Hajj, a holy trip. Millions of Muslims from all over the world visit Makkah, Saudi Arabia, each year to complete the Hajj.