Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Memon and Religious Affairs Minister Matiur Rahman along with Biman officials bid farewell to the pilgrims at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka yesterday.
Agencies/Dhaka
The first Haj flight carrying 409 Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka yesterday morning.
The Biman Bangladesh Airlines fight departed at 7.05am, Haj official Mizanur Rahman said.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Memon, Religious Affairs Minister Matiur Rahman and senior officials of the two ministries saw the pilgrims off at the airport.
Last year Haj flights started with hiccups as an aircraft Biman leased to carry pilgrims could not fly for not getting clearance from the Saudi Arabian civil aviation authority. That disruption of flight schedule caused immense sufferings to pilgrims.
This year Biman decided to carry the pilgrims by its own aircraft for which the national carrier had to suspend flight operations on Dhaka-Delhi and Dhaka-Hong Kong routes as it has engaged three of its wide-body aircraft in Haj operations.
“I’m happy with the management at the Haj camp and at the airport,” Mahbubur Rahman Patwari said before boarding the aircraft. Like him many other pilgrims expressed their satisfactions with the overall management.
Biman will carry 49,378 Haj pilgrims, out of 98,757, until November 8 by 270 flights, including 224 dedicated flights and 46 scheduled flights.
The pre-Haj flight will continue until September 28 and return flights from October 8 to November 8.
The rest of the half Haj pilgrims will be ferried by Saudia Airlines.
The Saudia Airlines will start flights on September 1 and continue through the month. It will operate return flights from October 9 to November 17.