Pakistan officially started its Hajj flight operations for 2025 Tuesday, the first batch of 442 pilgrims starting from Islamabad to Medina under the makkah route Initiative
The 33 -day operations will see more than 89,000 pilgrims travel within the framework of the government’s HAJJ program, with a total of 342 planned flights. The final flight is expected to leave on May 31.
The inaugural flight, PIA PK-713, left Islamabad International Airport at 4:45 a.m., while the second flight of the day, the PF-7700 of Airsial, transported 150 pilgrims from Lahore to Madinah at 8:00 am.
Six flights are expected to start from Pakistan on Tuesday, covering Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Multan.
Addressing outgoing pilgrims, the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf urged them to respect Saudi laws and traditions, describing pilgrims as “Allah guests and Pakistan ambassadors”.
He also announced his intention to visit Saudi Arabia to personally supervise arrangements and promised full support for Pakistani pilgrims.
Yousaf expressed his gratitude to the goalkeeper of the two holy mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman for having facilitated Pakistani pilgrims.
He added that each pilgrim has received a mobile SIM card equipped with a guidance application for use during the pilgrimage, especially in Mina.
This year, around 89,000 Pakistanis will perform the Hajj as part of the government program, while 23,620 others should travel to private tour operators.
About 50,500 Pakistani pilgrims will benefit from the initiative of the Makkah itinerary in Saudi Arabia, which rationalizes immigration procedures by allowing travelers to complete their home authorization before leaving.
The initiative, launched in 2019, is currently operational in Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh. As part of the Makkah Route initiative, 28,000 pilgrims will leave Islamabad and 22,500 from Karachi.
Although the final final figures are not yet confirmed, the projections suggest that the HAJJ 2025 could see a record attendance of more than 2.5 million Muslims gathering for the pilgrimage.
