First batch of 298 Haj pilgrims leaves for Medina
Lucknow airport will handle over 45 flights from May 21 to June 6 to ferry over 14,000 people to Medina, an official said.
With 298 Haj pilgrims on board, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday flagged off its first flight to Medina from the Amausi international airport in Lucknow. District magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar was present on the occasion.
Special arrangements are in place at the airport for the convenience of the pilgrims. “The airport will handle over 45 flights from May 21 to June 6 to ferry over 14,000 people to Medina. The special flights for Haj will be operated by Saudia airlines,” an airport spokesperson said.
Earlier, welfare minister Danish Azad Ansari and state Haj Committee chief Mohsin Raza flagged off the pilgrims’ bus from Haj House in the city. “I wished all pilgrims on their journey and told them that the BJP government will keep working for the benefit of Muslims in the state,” he later said.
Nadeem, 54, who was one of the 298 people who left for Medina, said at the airport, “I am happy with the arrangements at Haj House and the airport. A separate baggage screening facility has been created in coordination with the immigration, CISF and customs officials. Separate areas are earmarked for religious activities by Haj passengers such as a wazu khana and separate sections for men and women namazis.”