The first return hajj flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines has reached Dhaka with 416 pilgrims.
The flight took off from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdul Aziz Airport at 12:15pm and reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:25pm local time on Thursday. The return hajj flights will continue till August 4.
As many as 60,146 Bangladeshis, including 55,885 under private management, travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj after a two-year disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Around one million pilgrims from around the world visited the Gulf country for the same purpose.
The Saudi authorities allowed 60,000 Bangladeshis to perform hajj this year. But an additional 146 people travelled as part of the management teams.
Bangladesh began operating flights to Saudi Arabia on June 5. As many as 30,363 pilgrims travelled to the country on 87 Biman flights while Saudi Airlines ferried 23,919 on 64 flights and Flynas Airlines 5,864 on 14 flights. The Bangladeshi pilgrims went to perform hajj under 359 agencies. Some 15 Bangladeshi pilgrims, including five women, have so far died in Saudi Arabia.
First Hajj flight returns with 416 passengers
