.png)
SEPANG – The first batch of 284 haj pilgrims left on a Malaysia Airlines flight for the Holy Land earlier today.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH8056 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Madinah departed at 2.05am and was expected to arrive at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport at 5.50am local time.
The departure ceremony of the first group of pilgrims was attended by the Tabung Haji (TH) group managing director and chief executive officer Syed Hamadah Syed Othman and TH Haj executive director and head of the Malaysian haj group Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman.
Syed Hamadah said a total of 31,600 pilgrims, who are the country’s official full quota, will depart for the Holy Land to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam.
“Alhamdulillah, this year’s haj operation has returned to the way it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Insya-Allah, TH is ready to facilitate all the local haj pilgrims with the cooperation of haj officials including staff from other agencies to ensure their journey runs smoothly," he said.
Wukuf day (9 Zulhijah) is expected to fall on Tuesday, June 27.
The last return flight will be on August 1.
A total of 98 special chartered flights involving Malaysia Airlines and Saudia Airlines would be used, compared to only 48 flights last year.
Eight departure stations will be used for pilgrims throughout Malaysia for self-reporting, namely Kota Baru, Kelantan, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Alor Star, Kedah, Bayan Lepas, Penang, Senai, Johor, Kuching, Sarawak, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and KLIA. – Bernama, May 21, 2023