ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country's flag carrier, released comprehensive instructions for aspiring pilgrims planning their journey to the holy place on Wednesday night, while two private airlines began the massive pre-Hajj flight operation.


On Friday, May 10, PIA will begin operating pre-Hajj flights (tomorrow). Over 259 flights will be operated during the one-month operation to transport over 68,000 pilgrims from the nation's various international airports to Jeddah and Madina, Saudi Arabia.

The airlines said that as part of the Road to Makkah project, pilgrims would be imported into Pakistan. The first flight was scheduled to depart on Friday from Karachi, from where two private planes operated nighttime flights carrying 330 pilgrims between Wednesday and Friday.

The pilgrims have to get to the airport six hours prior to the scheduled departure time, as per the PIA norms. In addition to the immunisation card from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), they must have a smartphone with the ministry-recommended app loaded on it.

It is expressly prohibited for passengers to bring in their belongings any nail clippers, scissors, razors, lighters, toys that require batteries, matches, power banks, cylinders, emergency lights, lanterns, stoves, or combustible materials.

Each traveller is permitted to bring seven kilogrammes of hand luggage and forty kilogrammes of additional luggage. The standards provide that if a passenger is overweight, they would be charged an additional $5 per kilogramme.

According to the PIA, travellers on the return Hajj flights should arrive at the airports in Jeddah and Madina seven and ten hours before the scheduled departure times, respectively. It said that the traveller would be in charge of the ticket's cancellation if they were late.

Any additional baggage would cost a passenger SAR35 per kilogramme, according to the PIA. It further stated that, in accordance with Saudi legislation, each pilgrim would get a bottle of five litres of Zamzam water at the airport rather than being permitted to bring the beverage in their own belongings.

Concurrently, two private airlines departed from Karachi airport, initiating the pre-Hajj aviation. A representative for the Religious Affairs Ministry stated that the pre-Hajj flight programme would run through June 10. On June 20, the return flights would take off.

The spokesman stated that most of the planes between May 24 and June 9 would arrive at Jeddah airport, but the pilgrims would be transported to Madina airport for the first fifteen days of travel. The flights would be run from Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Quetta, and Sukkur in addition to Karachi.

A separate online meeting regarding the Hajj arrangements was conducted by the Religious Affairs Ministry with staff members stationed in Saudi Arabia and other places. Director-General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro was present at the meeting, which was presided over by Religious Affairs Secretary Zulfiqar Haider.

The participants from Makkah were briefed by the Hajj directors at the meeting. The secretary suggested that they consider the pilgrims' comments and viewpoints. They promised to provide lodging for pilgrims in Hayi Naseem in Makkah, Batha Quraish, and Aziziya. They further stated that accommodations would be provided in Madinah for all Pakistani pilgrims making the Hajj.