Staff Reporter :
Flights carrying Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj is likely to begin on May 31. This year, the government has fixed Tk 1,40,000 as plane fare for the hajj passengers.
Biman will carry 31,000 pilgrims by 75 dedicated flights, said State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali, while talking to reporters after attending a meeting on hajj management at the secretariat on Wednesday.
“We have not been able to perform Hajj for the last two years due to coronavirus pandemic. We have made some decisions so that pilgrims can go without any hindrance. We will have to finish this work within a very short time,” State Minister Mahbub Ali said.
This year, airfare is somewhat higher due to the higher of fuel prices, but the government has set a reasonable price
for Hajj pilgrims, he said.
Meanwhile, leaders of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) demanded to the government to reduce the plane fare and to send pilgrims to perform Hajj by May 31.
“There are many formalities to complete sending pilgrims before sending them to perform Hajj. Appointment of Muallem, house rent and other formalities are needed which take some times. So, it won’t be possible to send pilgrims on May 31. We are requesting to the civil aviation ministry to re-fix the flight schedule on June 15 instead of May 31,” M Shahadat Hossain Taslim, President of HAAB said while speaking as a chief guest at an Iftar party organized by Religious Reporters Forum (RRF) held at a city hotel.
He also requested the ministry concerned to reduce plane fare too.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia raised the number of Hajj pilgrims from inside and outside the kingdom to one million in 2022, authorities announced in a statement on April 09.
Hajj is open to those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are under the age of 65, added the statement. This year, a total of 57,856 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj from Bangladesh.
The government has taken necessary preparations for smooth and safe hajj, said State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan recently.
Pilgrims travelling from abroad will also need a negative PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before their departure for Saudi Arabia, the statement added.
Last year, 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj in the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the pandemic, some 2.5 million people used to travel S. Arabia every year for Hajj.
