DHAKA – This year’s hajj flight began today as a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 7.52 am carrying 419 Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister AKM Shahjahan Kamal and Religious Affairs Minister Principal Matiur Rahman inaugurated the Hajj flight at the airport.

“We have made all-out preparations to ensure sound Hajj flights this year as well as taken necessary measures to check any sort of harassment to the pilgrims,” Kamal told journalists at a short briefing at the airport.

The national flag carrier will operate the hajj flights by its own four wide-bodied Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. In two months, Biman will operate 359 Hajj flights including 298 dedicated and 61 scheduled flights.

The national flag carrier will operate 187 pre-Hajj flights (155 dedicated and 32 scheduled) till August 15 and 172 post Hajj flights (143 dedicated and 29 scheduled) from August 27 to September 25, Biman official sources said.

It will operate nine and three hajj flights from Chattagram and Sylhet respectively this year.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will carry 63,599 Hajj pilgrims, half of the total 1,27,198 pilgrims of this year. Of the total hajj pilgrims, 7,198 will perform hajj under government management, they added. Saudi Arabian Airlines will carry rest of the pilgrims.

This year Biman Bangladesh Airlines will give each pilgrim 5 litres of Zamzam water when they return from Saudi Arabia.