Having arrived in Saudi Arabia, some pilgrims allegedly faced hitches at the airport as at least seven were said to have failed to show bus tickets to Mecca to airport officials.
Mizanur Rahman, director of hajj office under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, said a handful of Bangladeshi pilgrims invited trouble after losing their bus tickets.
“Each pilgrim should be very careful when it comes to keeping their bus tickets in a safe place. We are now suggesting the pilgrims, who are yet to fly, to affix the tickets to their passports,” he said.
According to the new hajj rules, the pilgrims are required to collect bus tickets from officials of their home countries before catching the flight to Saudi Arabia. In the past, they would be given the tickets once they landed in the kingdom.
The ministry has submitted around 70,000 online hajj visa applications with valid documents to the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Bangladesh.
The embassy issued 30,000 visas till yesterday, sources said.
Mizanur told the Dhaka Tribune that the overall hajj visa processing was running smoothly.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines flew to Saudi Arabia carrying hajj pilgrims according to the schedule. Hajj flight was inaugurated on August 27.
“From August 27-30, a total of 7,280 pilgrims left for Saudi Arabia. Of them, 1,425 flew under government arrangements and 5,855 under private arrangements,” said Mizanur.
The return flights will carry passengers back home from October 9 to November 7, he said.
A total of 98,762 pilgrims would perform hajj this year. Of them, 1,505 will go under government arrangements and the rest under private arrangements.
Some 835 agents will send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year. Mizanur said 50% of the pilgrims will take Biman Bangladesh Airlines while Saudi Airlines will carry the remaining 50%.
Saudi Airlines flights are scheduled to take off from tomorrow.
