The first hajj flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines with 419 pilgrims left for Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
A Boeing 777-300ER aircraft took off around 7:52 am from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Civil aviation and tourism minister AKM Shahjahan Kamal and religious affairs minister Matiur Rahman inaugurated the flight at the airport.
The BG-1011 flight was due to land in Jeddah at 11:30 am.
The second dedicated flight, BG-3011, left at 11:55 am with 402 pilgrims.
Another flight, BG-5011, with 402 passengers was supposed to leave at 15:55 pm.
A scheduled flight, BG-0035, was also supposed to leave for Jeddah at 8:45 pm.
"We've made all-out preparations to ensure sound hajj flights this year," Mr Kamal told the media at a briefing there.
"We have also taken necessary steps to check any sort of harassment to the pilgrims," he said.
The national flag carrier will run hajj flights with its own four wide-bodied Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
In the next two months, it will operate 359 hajj flights, including 298 dedicated and 61 scheduled flights.
Biman will operate 187 pre-hajj flights (155 dedicated and 32 scheduled) until August 15, Biman sources said.
It will also run 172 post-hajj flights (143 dedicated and 29 scheduled) from August 27 to September 25.
The state-owned airlines will operate nine and three flights from Chattogram and Sylhet respectively.
It will carry 63,599 pilgrims, half of the total 1,27,198 going on pilgrimage to the kingdom.
Of the total pilgrims, 7,198 will perform hajj under government management, they added.
Saudi Arabian Airlines will carry the rest of the pilgrims.
This year, Biman will give each pilgrim five litres of Zamzam water when they return home from Saudi Arabia.
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