Pakistan officially began its Hajj 2025 flight operations on Tuesday, with the first group of 442 pilgrims departing from Islamabad to Madinah under the Makkah Route Initiative.
Over the course of 33 days, more than 89,000 pilgrims will travel under the government’s Hajj scheme, utilizing a total of 342 flights. The final departure is scheduled for May 31.
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The first flight, PIA PK-713, took off from Islamabad International Airport at 4:45 am, followed by AirSial’s PF-7700, which carried 150 pilgrims from Lahore to Madinah at 8:00 am.
Six flights were scheduled for Tuesday, covering departures from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, and Multan.
Speaking to the departing pilgrims, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf urged them to honor Saudi laws and customs, calling them “guests of Allah and ambassadors of Pakistan.” He also shared plans to visit Saudi Arabia himself to monitor the arrangements and assured full government support for pilgrims.
The minister thanked King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their continued support for Pakistani pilgrims.
Additionally, every pilgrim has been given a mobile SIM card equipped with a guidance application, especially for use in Mina.
This year, approximately 89,000 pilgrims will undertake Hajj through the government scheme, while another 23,620 will travel with private operators.
Nearly 50,500 Pakistani pilgrims will benefit from the Makkah Route Initiative, which allows immigration procedures to be completed at local airports before departing. Under this initiative, 28,000 pilgrims will leave from Islamabad and 22,500 from Karachi.
Although final global figures are pending, early estimates suggest Hajj 2025 could witness a record-breaking turnout of more than 2.5 million pilgrims.
