First flight carrying Hajj pilgrims departs Dhaka

The first flight carrying 415 pilgrims departed Dhaka for Jeddah on Thursday

Md Abdul Haque hails from Narail. For almost 25 years, he has been saving money for his dream of performing the Hajj pilgrimage. Now, on the verge of that dream’s fulfilment, his heart is bursting with emotion.

“There was no money,” he said, in a choked voice. “I never believed Allah would answer my dreams, but today that dream is going to be fulfilled. I have no words sufficient to thank Allah.”

The first Hajj flight carrying Abdul and 414 other pilgrims like him departed Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah at 7:19am on Thursday. The flight – BG-3301 – is scheduled to reach its destination at 11:30am.

The pilgrims boarding the flight said they were satisfied with the way their journeys have been managed so far.

Md Shah Alam from Chandpur’s Kechua is making the Hajj pilgrimage this year.

“I am happy with the way the Hajj was managed,” he said. “We didn’t face any trouble until we reached immigration. Hopefully, there won’t be any trouble once we reach Saudi Arabia either.”

The Hajj may be held on Jun 16, subject to the sighting of the moon.

This year, 127,198 Bangladeshis had the opportunity to make the trip, but only 83,311 registered. Of those, 4,319 registered for the government-managed trip while 78,895 registered for privately-managed trips.

The price of the general government package was set at Tk 578,840 and the special package at Tk 936,320. The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh set the price of a private general package at Tk 589,800 and a special package at Tk 699,300.

Earlier, Religious Affairs Minister Md Faridul Haque Khan had inaugurated the first Hajj flight.

“The Ministry of Religious Affairs, through close communication with the Saudi government, has taken all initiatives to ensure a peaceful Hajj journey for the guests of Allah,” he said.

“I request the authorities of Biman Bangladesh and other airlines to give all possible support to Hajj passengers. Demonstrate the highest level of professionalism in service for your passengers. Be careful when unloading baggage, and boarding and unloading pilgrims. Pay special attention to the quality of their food.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated this year’s Hajj journeys at the capital’s Ashkona Hajj Camp on Wednesday.

Biman Bangladesh, Saudia and Flynas are operating Hajj flights this year.

A total of 116 dedicated flights will operate during the pre-Hajj period from Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet to Jeddah and Madinah. Sufficient manpower has been dedicated to the initiative in Jeddah and Madinah, the Hajj office in Dhaka, and the flight boarding and immigration counters.

Of these flights, 82 will run from Dhaka to Jeddah, 17 from Chattogram to Jeddah, five from Sylhet to Jeddah, nine from Dhaka to Madinah, two from Chattogram to Madinah, and one from Sylhet to Madinah.

The Dhaka Hajj Office has a Biman sales counter for issuing tickets to ballotee Hajj pilgrims and to resolve issues related to non-ballotee Hajj pilgrims.

Following the Hajj pilgrimage, Biman Bangladesh will operate a total of 125 dedicated post-Hajj flights. Among them will be 73 flights from Jeddah to Dhaka, 15 from Jeddah to Chattogram, two from Jeddah to Sylhet, 22 from Madinah to Dhaka, nine from Madinah to Chattogram, and four from Madinah to Sylhet.

Hajj pilgrims can carry two bags weighing 23kg, or 46kg in total, in both directions.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced a second extension of the visa process for pilgrims this year. The ministry said the second phase was extended to May 11 as the visa process was not completed during the first extension period.