398 Bangladeshi pilgrims reach Saudi Arabia for Hajj on initial flight

The second flight from Dhaka carries another 414 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia

The first batch of Hajj pilgrims from Dhaka has reached Saudi Arabia aboard a Saudia Airlines jet carrying 398 Bangladeshi nationals.

The plane touched down at the King Abdulaziz International Airport on Tuesday morning. Within an hour, another Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft reached Jeddah carrying 414 devotees.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Delwar Hossain, Consul General Miah Mainul Kabir and Saudi Hajj ministry officials greeted the pilgrims with flowers at the airport.

According to flight tracker “Flightradar24”, the Saudia Airlines flight landed at 6:18am local time and the Biman jet at 7:10am.

A total of 87,100 pilgrims from Bangladesh are set to travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year. The government will oversee the travels of 5,200 pilgrims while the trips of the remaining 81,900 will be managed by private Hajj journey operators.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs said that eight of 10 flights that left Dhaka in the first 24 hours would land at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and the other two at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

A mobile app called "Labbaik", which includes several necessary features like communication options, has been launched for the Hajj pilgrims this year. Besides, Hajj pre-paid cards and roaming facilities have been offered on mobile phones.