The prime minister will virtually inaugurate the program at the Hajj Camp in the capital’s Ashkona on Friday morning, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Thursday. According to the press release, State Minister for Religion Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan and State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali will be present at the program.

Meanwhile, Biman Bangladesh Airlines will start operating Hajj flights to carry pilgrims from Sunday.According to the aviation authorities, Biman will carry 29,000 pilgrims by three Boeing 777 aircraft this year under its 130 dedicated flights with 65 round trips.

This year, a total 57,856 pilgrims from Bangladesh will be allowed to take part in the Hajj. Among them, 31,000 pilgrims will be carried by Biman and the rest by Saudia and Flynas (if the latter Saudi airline is approved).

Hajj is open to those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and are under the age of 65, added the statement.Pilgrims travelling from abroad will also need to have a negative PCR test certificate, taken no more than 72 hours before their departure for Saudi Arabia, the statement added.

Last year, only 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj from across the world because of the Covid-19 pandemic.Before the pandemic, some 2.5 million people used to travel every year to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.