ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) first Haj flight PK-1201, carrying 461 pilgrims left for Saudi Arabia from Benazir Bhutto International Airport here on Sunday.

The pilgrims were seen off by PIA’s Director Stories and Purchases Imran Khan. District Manager Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Zulfiqar Ali Bijarani, Station Manager Islamabad Airport Kamran Nawaz, Deputy General-Manager, Operations, Islamabad Airport Shafqat Malik and other senior officials were also present at the Airport. The pre-Haj operation will continue till December 2, while the post-Haj flights would start from December 12 and conclude on January 11, 2009.

This year PIA will be transporting approximately 1,32,153 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia through 301 Haj flights from Karachi, including Multan, Faisalabad and Sukkur, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.

In all 310 flights have been scheduled by the airline to uplift 1,32,153 intending Hajj pilgrims. PIA will operate 48 Haj flights directly for Madinah, 16 flights from Karachi, 16 from Lahore and 16 from Islamabad.—APP