First phase of PIA pre-Haj operation completed

LAHORE: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has successfully completed the first phase of its pre-Haj operation.

The operation culminated on Monday night with the final flight departing from Karachi to Jeddah. Over the course of the operation, a total of 35,030 Hajj pilgrims were transported to the holy Hijaz through 171 flights. This group included approximately 19,500 official pilgrims, 14,900 private pilgrims and 630 pilgrims bound for Madinah and Jeddah. The pre-Hajj flights, which began on May 9 and concluded on June 11, departed directly from Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and Peshawar.

The pilgrims from Sukkur and Quetta traveled to Jeddah via Karachi. Out of 171 flights, 126 departed shortly before their scheduled time. However, 45 flights experienced delays due to bad weather and operational reasons, said the PIA spokesperson. The post-Hajj operation is set to commence on June 20 and will continue until July 21.