ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national flag carrier, Saturday announced fares for Hajj 2023 for southern and northern regions of the country.
According to the spokesperson for PIA, the fare for pilgrims going for private Hajj has been fixed from $870 to $1,180, from the southern region like – Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur and Hyderabad.
The fare for hajj pilgrims from the northern region of the country, including Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Multan and other cities, will be from $910 to $1,220.
The Religious Affairs Ministry is expected to announce fares for pilgrims going under the official Hajj quota.
The national airline will continue Hajj flight operations from May 21 to August 2, during which more than 38,000 pilgrims are expected to travel. About 44,000 pilgrims will go to Hijaz through Saudi Airlines and two private airlines operating from the rest of Pakistan. PIA will use Boeing 777 and Airbus 320 for its Hajj flight operations to Jeddah and Madina.
Last week, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony decided to allocate a 25% special quota in the government’s Hajj Scheme for the pilgrims depositing their dues in US dollars, adding that they would be exempted from the balloting under the new Hajj policy.
The ministry said about 22,400 pilgrims would benefit from the ‘Sponsorship Scheme’ being introduced in the wake of the prevailing foreign exchange crisis in the country.
It has also increased the Hajj quota for private operators from 40-50%, which might be raised further.
The ministry is expected to charge Rs1.1 million from each pilgrim under the government scheme, but expenses might rise to Rs1.3 million in case of further depreciation of the rupee.
The Ministry of Finance indicated that it would not be able to arrange some $2 billion for the Hajj amid the foreign currency shortage. According to sources, the Saudi government is also increasing the tax rate on Hajj by 18-20%.
