Emotions were palpable at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Thursday as Pakistan initiated its post-Hajj 2024 flight operations.
The departure marked the culmination of the sacred pilgrimage, with the farewell Tawaf at the Grand Mosque in Makkah signaling the end of the five-day religious observance at the holy sites of Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah from Zilhajj 8-12.
This year, approximately 160,000 Pakistanis fulfilled their Hajj obligations under both government and private schemes.
The inaugural flight PF-723 departed for Multan from Jeddah airport at 05:35 Saudi Arabia Standard Time (SAST), carrying 150 passengers.
Subsequent flights included PF-721 to Lahore at 11:45 SAST with 150 pilgrims, PF-715 to Karachi at 18:20 SAST with 151 passengers, and the final flight of the day, PK-842 to Islamabad, scheduled to depart at 20:50 SAST with 372 Hujjaj on board.