This year’s Haj flight
services from Kerala under the banner of the State Haj Committee began when a
Saudi Airlines plane took off from Calicut International Airport at Karipur at
10.20 a.m. on Saturday, carrying 300 pilgrims.
Union Minister of
State for External Affairs and Human Resource Development E. Ahamed flagged off
the inaugural flight in the presence of a bevy of dignitaries, including
Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar and MPs M.I. Shanavaz and E.T. Mohammed
Basheer. Mr. Ahamed said all efforts would be made to avoid congestion in the
apron during the Haj flight operations.
The Minister said
Saudi Arabian Airlines would provide Zamzam (holy water) to all pilgrims on the
same day of their return.
Saudi Airlines
operated its second flight to carry 250 pilgrims on Saturday afternoon. The
flight left Karipur at 1.20 p.m.
Two flights today
There will be two
flights on Sunday. The first flight will leave at 8.10 a.m. and the second at
11.10 a.m.
As many as 8,585
pilgrims from Kerala have so far been chosen for the pilgrimage under the State
Haj Committee. Haj panel chairman Kottumala T.M. Bapu Musliar told The Hindu
that some more waitlisted applicants might be selected for Haj depending on the
cancellations across the country.
Apart from the Kerala
pilgrims, 313 Hajis from Lakshadweep and 68 from Mahe are also flying to Makkah
from Karipur, the sole embarkation point for them. Saudi Airlines are to
operate 32 services from Karipur — 31 for Kerala pilgrims and one for
Lakshadweep pilgrims — before October 20. It will fly two services each on
October 7, 16, and 19, three services on October 8, 9, 11, 18, and 20, and four
services on October 13. The airline will fly one flight on October 10, 12, 14,
15, and 17. The first batch of pilgrims from Lakshadweep reached the State Haj
Camp at Karipur on Friday. The second batch will reach Karipur in a couple of
days. The Lakshadweep pilgrims will be ferried to Jeddah on October 11, said
Mr. Bapu Musliar.
The Haj Committee
chairman expressed happiness at the smooth functioning of the Haj operations.
Pilgrims reaching the Haj House 14 hours before the departure have enough time
to rest in the camp. All travel procedures, including check in and emigration
and customs clearance, are done at the camp. The pilgrims are entering Ihram, a
sacred state compulsory for Haj and Umra, at the camp. They undergo the final
process of security check at the airport.
The pilgrims reaching
Jeddah will be led to Makkah, where they will perform Thavaf and Sahee, after
which they will be free to come out of Ihram.
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