Hajj 2022: Religious affairs ministry unveils flight schedule

KARACHI: The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Friday unveiled the schedule of flight operations for Hajj 2022, ARY News reported.

According to details shared by the religious affairs ministry spokesperson, the first Hajj flight will depart from Islamabad on June 6 (Monday).

According to the schedule, 32,000 pilgrims will be flown to Saudi Arabia via 106 Hajj flights.

The spokesperson said 42 flights will be operated from Islamabad under Road to Makkah project. Hajj pilgrims under the government scheme will arrive in Saudi Arabia via PIA, Air Blue, Serene Air and Saudi Air flights.

Hajj pilgrims are also being informed about the flights through the website and SMS on their mobile numbers.

Furthermore, Hajj pilgrims would be required to be fully vaccinated with a booster dose and have to undergo a PCR test at least 72 hours before the departure to make sure they were Covid negative.

Pakistan had received a Hajj quota of 81,132 pilgrims this year with 40% under the government scheme and 60% under private scheme. The upper age limit for pilgrims had been fixed at 65 years.

It is to be noted that Saudi Arabia has allotted the second-highest quota of Hajj pilgrims to Pakistan after the Kingdom allowed one million people to perform the holy pilgrimage this year.

Hajj expenses

The Religious ministry also released the details of Hajj expenses this year, stating that the Hajj will cost Rs860,000 for Pakistanis, while the cost for southern part of the country will be Rs850,000.

Giving details about the expenditure on Hajj, Maulana Abdul Shakoor said that the accommodation in Makkah will cost Rs 112,000, while in Madinah it will cost Rs38,000. Under the Haj Policy, Rs45,000 (with Qurbani), has been fixed for individuals.

PIA schedule

It is pertinent to mention here that the national flag carrier — Pakistan International Airline (PIA) — will begin this year’s Hajj flight operations from June 6.

According to PIA spokesperson, the first Hajj flight will depart for Madina from Islamabad on June 6. PIA said the Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia would fly to Jeddah and Madinah.

“The national flag carrier will operate overall 400 pre and post-Hajj flights from May 31 to August 13,” Pakistan’s national flag carrier said in a statement.