Hajj flight starts Sunday

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will start operating Hajj flights on Sunday (August 16) aiming to carry 51,000 pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, sources said. A total of 145 direct flights from Dhaka to Jeddah will continue ferrying pilgrims until September 18, said a Biman official. Biman would operate new Boeing-777 aircraft to carry the Hajj pilgrims, he added. The first flight carrying 419 pilgrims is set to take off from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:35 am Sunday. Biman already completed all preparations to operate the flights without any hassle, Biman chairman Air Marshal Jamal Uddin Ahmed told the FE Thursday. The return Hajj flights are set to begin from September 27 and continue until October 28. A total of 101,758 pilgrims from Bangladesh are expected to perform Hajj this year.    — FE Report