65,000 to perform Hajj next year

A meeting held at Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry yesterday decided to send as many as 65,000 pilgrims from Bangladesh in next Hajj and national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines would carry all of them splitting into equal share of 32,500 each, official sources said.

Representatives of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) made it clear at the meeting yesterday that the Hajj flight fare has to be fixed by June this year and the fare rate has to be compatible with hajj flight fares in neighbouring countries.

It may be recalled that due to Hajj flight mismanagement the then State Minister for Civil Aviation Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin lost his job late last year and because of last moment high fare charging by foreign airlines state-run Biman had to charter aircrafts to arrange for flights for over 40,000 pilgrims.

Haab general secretary Jinnur Ahmed Chowdhury Dipu, present at the meeting, told The Daily Star last night that the authorities were asked to arrange for wide bodied aircrafts well in advance so that Biman needs not disturb its regular flight schedules due to extra load during Hajj season.

Secretaries of the ministries of civil aviation and religious affairs, Biman's marketing director and general manager and Haab president were also present at the meeting.