Pakistan’s Hajj flight operation gathers pace as over 5,000 pilgrims reach Madinah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s nationwide Hajj 2026 flight operation has accelerated, with thousands of pilgrims already transported to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, a total of 5,250 government-sponsored pilgrims have arrived in Madinah on 21 flights so far.

A further 3,510 pilgrims are scheduled to depart today on 13 flights. Of these, four flights will operate from Islamabad, while Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Quetta will each see two departures. One additional flight is set to leave from Sialkot.

The ongoing Hajj operation is being jointly conducted by Pakistan International Airlines, Saudia, Airblue and AirSial.

Meanwhile, pre-Hajj arrangements, including training, documentation and vaccination, are continuing at 10 camps across the country.

Authorities have also deployed staff round the clock at both Pakistani and Saudi airports to facilitate pilgrims. The ministry stated that the flight operation will continue without interruption until 31 May.

On April 19, Hajj 2026 operations by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed from Faisalabad International Airport after a gap of four years.

The first flight with 150 pilgrims departed to Medina. The pilgrims were seen off by Commissioner Musarrat Jabeen and MPA Ahmed Shahryar.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would operate 15 flights from Faisalabad to Medina and nine to Jeddah as part of the Hajj operation.

The final Hajj flight under this operation is scheduled to depart on 19 May.