Demand to increase number of flight : Sylhet’s Hajj pilgrims embark on first flight to Medina
Sylhet Bureau
The first Hajj flight from Sylhet to Medina took off on Wednesday at 5:30 PM. A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying 418 Hajj pilgrims departed from Osmani International Airport for Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural ceremony was graced by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Abdun Naser Khan, as the chief guest. Presided over by Biman Bangladesh Airlines Sylhet District Manager Md. Shahnewaz Majumder, the event was attended by special guests Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad, Sylhet’s District Administrator, and Md. Hafiz Ahmed, Director of Osmani International Airport.
This year, to facilitate Sylhet’s Hajj pilgrims, five direct flights are being operated from Sylhet. The first flight departed directly for Medina, while the remaining four will operate on the Sylhet-Jeddah route on May 23, 25, 26, and 29. According to airport authorities, while the “Road to Makkah” program allows immigration formalities for both countries to be completed in Dhaka, passengers on Sylhet’s flights will complete Saudi immigration at the respective Saudi airports. Additionally, many expatriates from Sylhet are participating in Hajj this year.
A total of 2,700 pilgrims from Sylhet are performing Hajj this year, with 2,090 traveling on Biman’s flights from Sylhet and the rest from Dhaka. The registration and related activities for pilgrims from this region were managed through three leading agencies in Sylhet. Pilgrims have expressed satisfaction with this year’s overall arrangements but have demanded an increase in the number of flights in the future.
Sources indicate that, under the “Road to Makkah” program, immigration for both countries will be conducted in Dhaka for applicable flights. However, for passengers traveling via Osmani International Airport, immigration will take place in Saudi Arabia
The first Hajj flight from Sylhet to Medina took off on Wednesday at 5:30 PM. A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying 418 Hajj pilgrims departed from Osmani International Airport for Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural ceremony was graced by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Abdun Naser Khan, as the chief guest. Presided over by Biman Bangladesh Airlines Sylhet District Manager Md. Shahnewaz Majumder, the event was attended by special guests Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad, Sylhet’s District Administrator, and Md. Hafiz Ahmed, Director of Osmani International Airport.
This year, to facilitate Sylhet’s Hajj pilgrims, five direct flights are being operated from Sylhet. The first flight departed directly for Medina, while the remaining four will operate on the Sylhet-Jeddah route on May 23, 25, 26, and 29. According to airport authorities, while the “Road to Makkah” program allows immigration formalities for both countries to be completed in Dhaka, passengers on Sylhet’s flights will complete Saudi immigration at the respective Saudi airports. Additionally, many expatriates from Sylhet are participating in Hajj this year.
A total of 2,700 pilgrims from Sylhet are performing Hajj this year, with 2,090 traveling on Biman’s flights from Sylhet and the rest from Dhaka. The registration and related activities for pilgrims from this region were managed through three leading agencies in Sylhet. Pilgrims have expressed satisfaction with this year’s overall arrangements but have demanded an increase in the number of flights in the future.
Sources indicate that, under the “Road to Makkah” program, immigration for both countries will be conducted in Dhaka for applicable flights. However, for passengers traveling via Osmani International Airport, immigration will take place in Saudi Arabia
