Officials said the second flight, which was scheduled to arrive at 2 pm local time, was already late by eight hours. The pilgrims had no complaints and they expressed their gratitude for the volunteers in the Kingdom for excellent support they extended during their stay there.
Relatives of the pilgrims were waiting at the airport since the morning for the flight to arrive. Kerala State Haj Committee chairman PTA Raheem, MLA, and other officials received the pilgrims at the domestic terminal of the airport, dedicated to the pilgrims for the season. The pilgrims came out within an hour after completing formalities.
Saudi Arabian Airlines is scheduled to operate 29 services to bring back 8,930 pilgrims to the Kerala embarkation point from Makkah. Nine pilgrims took the journey under the aegis of the official facilitator died during the pilgrimage. Seven of them were buried in Makkah and two in Madinah.
Reports said 75 percent of some 10,000 pilgrims from the region embarked on the pilgrimage using the services of private tour operators have already returned.
