First Haj flight takes off from Hyderabad

Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali on Sunday flagged off a bus carrying Haj pilgrims from the Haj House at Nampally to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, starting the first phase of Haj operations 2016. Air India has once again been entrusted with the task of carrying Haj pilgrims for 2016. This year, Air India is operating 15 flights to Jeddah in Phase-I of Haj operations from Hyderabad. Air India is operating a Boeing 777 ER aircraft and it has carried 340 passengers on its first flight.

Phase-II of Haj operations to bring back the pilgrims will start from October 4, 2016, after Id-ul-Adha. The airline has made



elaborate arrangements at Jeddah and Medina to facilitate the return of the pilgrims. Arrangements have also been made to enable the passengers to check in their baggage from their hotels at Mecca and Medina itself apart from streamlining arrangements to transport Zamzam (holy water) with the passengers on the same aircraft.

A dedicated team from Air India will provide all assistance to the pilgrims. Mahmood Ali said the State government would not hesitate to spend any amount of money for sending Muslim pilgrims to their most sacred holy place Mecca this year. This year, some 2,800 pilgrims from Telangana State will be visiting the holy place.