Pakistan announces Hajj 2026 flight schedule for pilgrimage

2026-03-25 - 13:41

The Ministry of Religious Affairs of Pakistan has released the flight schedule for the Hajj 2026 operation, confirming that the first flight will depart on 18 April 2026. According to the ministry, a total of 468 flights will be operated under the government Hajj scheme to transport pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The initial flights on 18 April 2026 will depart from Karachi, Lahore, Sialkot and Multan. Around 119,000 pilgrims, including 67.230 men and 51,846 women, will be taken from Pakistan to the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah under the government Hajj scheme. Ministry officials stated that on the first day of the Hajj operation, four flights will carry pilgrims to Madinah. Authorities said the Hajj flight operation will continue for 34 days, with the final flight departing Pakistan on 21 May 2026. Flights to Jeddah are scheduled to begin from 4 May 2026, while the first dedicated flight to Madinah will depart on 7 May 2026. During the first 15 days of the operation, most pilgrims will be flown directly to Madinah. In total, 186 flights will land in Madinah and 282 in Jeddah. According to the ministry, four airlines, including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Airblue, AirSial, and Saudi Airlines, will participate in the Hajj operation. Flights will depart from eight cities across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Sukkur. Islamabad will handle 129 flights, followed by Karachi with 124 and Lahore with 104, 34 from Multan, 26 from Sialkot, 23 from Faisalabad, 18 from Quetta and five from Sukkur.