All preparations for the 2025 Hajj operation are in place, with the first government-organised flight departing on April 29 and the final flight scheduled for May 31, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony said on Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry said that a total of 342 flights would be operated to transport pilgrims from Pakistan, with 89,000 set to travel to Madina and Makkah.
The Hajj flight operation will span 33 days. Pilgrims will primarily be flown to Madina during the first 15 days. On the opening day of the operation, six flights are scheduled to depart for Saudi Arabia.
Two flights will leave from Lahore, while one flight each will operate from Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta, and Multan. The first flight, operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), will depart Islamabad at 4:45am, carrying 393 pilgrims.
A private airline’s flight from Lahore, with 150 pilgrims, will take off at 8:30am, followed by a PIA flight from Quetta at 9:30am carrying another 150 pilgrims. From Multan, a PIA flight with 393 pilgrims is scheduled for 8:15pm.
Karachi’s private airline flight, carrying 285 pilgrims, will depart at 9:30pm, while another flight from Lahore, with 329 pilgrims onboard, will leave at 10:15pm.
Last week, the ministry announced that a total of 23,620 pilgrims from Pakistan will be able to perform Hajj in 2025 under the Private Hajj Scheme.
According to the ministry’s spokesperson, Muhammad Umar Butt, the updated list of approved service providers for Hajj 2025 has been uploaded on the ministry’s official website and the Pak Hajj mobile application.
He informed that all pilgrims who have booked their Hajj arrangements through registered service providers are advised to verify the status of their applications and contracts by visiting the ministry’s portal at https://pvt-inquiry.hajjinfo.org/. Pilgrims are also encouraged to use the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile app for further updates and information, he added.
Umar Butt said all approved Hajj Group Organisers (HGOs) and service providers have been instructed to issue updated Hajj contracts (Hajj forms) to pilgrims by the allocated Hajj quota for 2025.
Butt said they must also ensure the issuance of Hajj visas by April 18, 2025, in compliance with the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
