JEDDAH, 13 December 2003 — PIA ended one of its most successful umrah operations with its last flight leaving Jeddah a week ago. The umrah operation of Pakistan’s national carrier started on Aug. 29 and continued for more than three months. The airliner launched 96 special flights until Nov. 16 to bring over 35,000 from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, and 54 additional flights to bring most of them home from Nov. 13. The remaining pilgrims have since been traveling on scheduled flights. “Most of the flights operated on time, barring a few others that were delayed due to a heavy rush of passengers and aircraft at King Abdul Aziz Airport — a normal feature during the peak umrah season,” a PIA spokesman said. This year, PIA introduced a new system that enabled passengers to obtain their pre-boarding coupons from any of its ticket offices in the Western Province.