The first Hajj flight will take off from Karachi airport on Thursday (tomorrow) with intended 180 pilgrims, officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs said here on Tuesday.

The officials said the first flight will start from Thursday at 1-45am. According to them, 180 intended pilgrims will depart from Karachi to Madina whereas the second flight with 150 pilgrims will depart for Madina on Thursday night at 2am.

More than 68,000 intending pilgrims under government’s regular Hajj scheme would be flown to Saudi Arabia in 259 flights of different airlines in a month-long pre-Hajj flights operation starting tomorrow.

From May 24 to June 9, most of flights would arrive at Jeddah while the post-Hajj flight operation from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan would start from June 20.

On the first day, 11 flights carrying 2,160 intending pilgrims would depart for Madina from Pakistan’s airports.

As many as 680 pilgrims in three flights from Islamabad would be taken to Madina, two flights with 330 pilgrims from Karachi, three flights with 670 pilgrims from Lahore, two flights with 329 pilgrims and one flight with 151 pilgrims would leave for Madina on the first day.

The first Hajj flights from Quetta and Sukkur are scheduled on 11th and 27th of May.