Biman Bangladesh Airlines has finally decided to operate this year’s Hajj flights with its own fleet of aircraft, moving away from its earlier decision to ferry Hajj pilgrims with leased aircraft.

After 10 long years, Flynas – a budget Saudi Arabian airline – has become the third carrier to get permission to carry Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims from this year onwards.

The pilgrimage of over 2,000 Bangladeshis still remains uncertain as their hajj agencies are yet to apply for visas, Hajj camp sources said yesterday.

Around 2,500 pilgrims are yet to get visas as the extended deadline for completing the visa procedure expires today, according to Hajj Camp sources.

The authorities of Biman Bangladesh Airlines have cancelled two more scheduled hajj flights due to shortage of pilgrims for visa complications.

As many as 90 hajj agencies could not send a single of the 13,415 pilgrims till yesterday despite getting their visas weeks ago, as the tour operators failed to book flight tickets and arrange their accommodation in Saudi Arabia. Eight other agencies have been able to arrange flight for one pilgrim each though they obtained visas for 1,157, according to a list prepared on Thursday by the Hajj Office, which operates under the religious affairs ministry.

At least 163 of the 171-member “Hajj Assistant Delegation” the religious affairs ministry sent to Saudi Arabia to help a Bangladeshi medical team treat pilgrims have no background in medicine.

Biman had to cancel two hajj flights again yesterday to the dismay of over 800 pilgrims.

The first Hajj flight for pilgrims is set to take off on July 24.

Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal rejects idea of sharing administration of Hajj with other Muslim nations, saying Riyadh considers it "a matter of sovereignty" and a "privilege."

The Makkah Secretariat is preparing 74,700 graves across six graveyards which could accommodate some of the martyrs of the stampede in Mina among others, according to a Saudi media report.

Violation of the pilgrims’ grouping regulations by some 300 Iranian pilgrims resulted in the stampede in Mina which killed 769 Hajjis and injured 934, Asharq Al-Awsat daily reports.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims from across the globe begin the annual hajj pilgrimage in one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.