Karachi - PIA pre-Haj operation of transporting more than 55,000 intending pilgrims from seven cities of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia concluded on Sunday.
The airline carried more than 43000 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia through 109 special Haj flights while approximately 12,000 travelled through PIA regular scheduled flights around 85 per cent punctuality.
PIA operated 14 flights from Karachi and carried 6100 intending pilgrims, 14 flights from Islamabad with 6400 pilgrims, 17 flights from Lahore with 9,000 pilgrims, 21 flights from Peshawar with 6600 pilgrims, 28 flights from Quetta with 10,000 pilgrims, 12 flights from Multan with 4,000 pilgrims and 3 flights from Sialkot with 1500 intending pilgrims.
Chairman PIA Muhammad Ali Gardezi and Managing Director PIA, Shah Nawaz Rehman in a joint statement congratulated PIA employees for successful completion of pre-Haj operation and instructed all departments to work with the same zeal in making the airline’s post-Haj operation of returning Hajjis successful. They said this year too PIA pre-Haj operation completed with its own Boeing 777’s and 747’s aircrafts and no aircraft was hired on lease for Haj operation. PIA’s post-Haj operation of bringing back Hajjis from Saudi Arabia will commence from 8 October 2014 and concludes on 8 November 2014.