According to the UP govt Haj committee, the first flight ever for the Haj of 2023 took off on Sunday at 12 p.m. from Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport with 288 pilgrims on board.
The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the civil aviation ministry, the Haj ministry, and others are anticipated to greet the pilgrims after their flight lands at Medina Airport, according to the Uttar Pradesh government’s announcement.
UP Pilgrims flight
Moreover, the Haj committee reported that this was the first pilgrimage from the UP govt to go for Haj following the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the international airport in Lucknow, Surya Pal Gangwar and the Saudi Airlines personnel bid farewell to the Haj pilgrims.
Before the flight departed, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli, the head of the Uttar Pradesh Haj Committee, Danish Azad Ansari, the state minister for minority welfare, and Mohsin Raza flagged off the group from the Maulana Ali Mia Memorial Haj House to the airport.
Two aircraft in total took off with close to 570 pilgrims. The state government estimates that between May 21 and June 6, 14,114 pilgrims will travel from Lucknow to Medina. About 60 Haj sevak will be traveling with the pilgrims to help them on their way. Approximately 4,000 female pilgrims will depart from Lucknow for the Haj this year.
Speaking at the event, Minister Danish Azad Ansari noted that this was the first time so many pilgrims have traveled to perform the Haj since the epidemic.
Working with numerous stakeholders, the state government has guaranteed each pilgrim’s comfort and safety. Further, the chief executive Yogi Adityanath has also expressed his best wishes for the pilgrimage.
Lucknow International Airport
Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport passengers were greeted with a flower petal shower before boarding the trip to Medina, which Saudi Arabian government officials, Saudi Airlines, customs, immigration, and members of the UP Haj committee organized.
SP Tiwari, the secretary of the UP govt Haj Committee, said, “The Saudi Arabia authorities informed us that flight which left at 12 noon from Lucknow with 288 pilgrims, will be the first flight across the world this year to land at Medina airport, where Crown Prince and other officials will welcome them.
When this report was submitted, the 149 men and 139 women on board the SVA3891 flight had already entered Oman airspace. There were 94 pilgrims from the Barabanki district and 150 from Lucknow on the flight.
At 3:05 pm, SVA3895, the second flight, which had 282 pilgrims, 151 males, and 131 women, departed from Lucknow International Airport with pilgrims from Barabanki, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, and 46 Unnao districts making up the majority of the group. Up till June 6 from Lucknow, 45 planes will fly more than 14,000 pilgrims.
The district administration has given food, water, beds, medical facilities, and documentation-related amenities to pilgrims arriving from outside Lucknow at the Maulana Ali Mia Memorial Haj House in Sarojini Nagar.
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