Saudia Airlines operates first Hajj flight of 2025 from Dhaka

NN Online:
The Hajj pilgrimage season for 2025 has officially begun as the first flight carrying Bangladeshi pilgrims departed from Dhaka early Tuesday morning.

Operated by Saudia Airlines, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, Flight SV-803 took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:11am, transporting 398 pilgrims. The Boeing 777-300 is scheduled to land at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah at 6:00am local time, following a flight of approximately seven hours.

On this inaugural day, a total of 4,180 pilgrims will depart for Saudi Arabia via 10 separate flights. Of these, eight flights will land in Jeddah, while the remaining two will arrive at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

Later in the morning, at 3:00am, Biman Bangladesh Airlines is set to operate its first Hajj flight of the season.

The Hajj flight operations for the Islamic year 1446 (2025) were formally inaugurated on Monday evening at Dhaka’s Ashkona Hajj Camp by Religious Affairs Advisor AFM Khalid Hossain. During the ceremony, he met with pilgrims, offered his blessings, and urged them to strictly follow Saudi laws and uphold the image of Bangladesh abroad.

This year, a total of 87,100 Bangladeshi pilgrims are scheduled to perform Hajj. Of them, 5,200 will travel under government arrangements, while 81,900 will be managed by private Hajj agencies.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, three airlines will operate a total of 232 pre-Hajj flights. Biman Bangladesh Airlines will carry 44,307 pilgrims across 118 flights, Saudia Airlines will operate 80 flights for 32,740 pilgrims, and Flynas will conduct 34 flights to transport 13,065 pilgrims.