DHAKA, 24 December 2004 — Prime Minister Khaleda Zia flagged off the first Haj flight from Bangladesh yesterday. The Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carried 274 pilgrims to Jeddah.
Khaleda urged the pilgrims to pray for peace, welfare and prosperity of the country, the nation and the entire Muslim Ummah.
Biman will operate 85 Hajj flights, including 12 direct flights from the southeastern port city of Chittagong, to carry nearly 25,000 pilgrims.
Besides Bangladeshi pilgrims, Biman this time has made arrangements to carry 750 foreign pilgrims from Calcutta, Hong Kong and Thailand, and another 250 from Myanmar to Jeddah. The Haj flights will continue till Jan. 15 while the return flights will start on Jan. 25 and continue till Feb. 18.
Addressing a brief function at the departure lounge at Zia International Airport yesterday, the prime minister said she had asked Biman not to charge pilgrims excess fare despite recent increase in oil price.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Mosharref Hossain Shajahan and State Minister for Civil Aviation Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin also spoke at the function, which was followed by prayers.
Later, Khaleda went aboard the aircraft and exchanged greetings with the pilgrims and wished them a rewarding Haj.
