Ministry signs Hajj flight agreement with Saudi Airlines

ISLAMABAD: An agreement has been signed between the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Saudi Airlines for the Hajj flight operation.

According to the agreement, Saudi Airlines will provide travel facilities for 35,000 Pakistani government Hajj pilgrims to and from Saudi Arabia. The agreement was signed at the Ministry of Religious Affairs by Sultan Al-Harbi, the Country Manager of Saudi Airlines in Pakistan, and Dr Syed Ata-ur-Rehman, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.

The Country Manager of Saudi Airlines reaffirmed the commitment to providing the best facilities for Pakistani pilgrims. Dr Ata-ur-Rehman said that all possible measures were being taken to ensure the provision of excellent facilities for Pakistani pilgrims. Previously, the Ministry of Religious Affairs had always signed travel agreements with the national flag carrier, the PIA.

Earlier, the Ministry of Religion through 15 commercial banks received 82,000 against a quota of 89,605 seats under the regular Hajj scheme and all the applicants were declared successful. Compared to last year when the government had to surrender a quota of 19,000 seats, this year has witnessed a higher number of applications this year. The Hajj applicants were asked to deposit Rs 200,000 with applications and the remaining amount in two instalments.

Alongside the long-duration package, the government has also introduced a short short-duration package of 20 to 25 days this year.