First Hajj flight leaves Dhaka with 415 pilgrims

The first hajj flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines left Dhaka for Saudi Arabia with 415 hajj pilgrims in the early hours of Sunday, reports BSS.

Aircraft 'BG-3001' of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 3:20 am on Sunday. It was scheduled to land in Jeddah at around 7:20 pm (Saudi Arabia time).

State minister for civil aviation Md Mahbub Ali, state minister for religious affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan, ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh Isa Bin Yusuf Al Duhailan, member of parliament from Dhaka-18 Constituency Habib Hasan, Biman Bangladesh chairman Mustafa Kamal Uddin, civil aviation and tourism ministry secretary Md Mokammel Hossain, civil aviation authority chairman air vice marshal Md Mofidur Rahman, Biman Bangladesh Airlines managing director and chief executive officer Shafiul Azim and other high-ranking government officials were present at the airport during the departure.

Four more flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines are scheduled to leave Dhaka with Jeddah with hajj pilgrims at different times today.

Earlier on Friday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Hajj Activities-2023 (1444 Hijri) at the Hajji Office in the capital's Ashkona area.

This year, a total of 122,221 pilgrims from Bangladesh have registered to perform hajj. Of them, 61,111 will take flights of Bangladesh Biman and the rest will take flights of either Saudia or Flynas.

Hajj is expected to be held on 27 June depending on the sighting of the moon.