Bangladesh’s annual Hajj flights commenced from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at midnight on 28/29 April, with over 87,100 pilgrims set to travel to Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
Around 95% of the country's pilgrims traditionally depart from Dhaka.
In a bid to streamline the process, this year’s Hajj pilgrims are once again benefitting from the "Road to Makkah" initiative, which allows for dual immigration processing in Dhaka itself.
Immigration checks for departing pilgrims are being conducted at Ashkona Hajj Camp, with a team of 75 Saudi immigration officers stationed at Shahjalal Airport to facilitate the process.
However, on their return, pilgrims must complete immigration formalities in Saudi Arabia.
Pilgrims departing via Sylhet and Chattogram airports will complete their Saudi immigration upon arrival in the Kingdom.
The first Hajj flight, carrying Bangladeshi pilgrims, was scheduled to depart for Jeddah at 2:15am on 29 April.
Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain formally inaugurated this year’s Hajj flights in a ceremony at the Ashkona Hajj Camp earlier in the evening.
Special Superintendent of Police (Immigration Operations), AKM Akhtaruzzaman told the media that special instructions had been issued to personnel at the Hajj Camp to ensure smooth and hassle-free immigration.
Authorities are optimistic that this year’s operations will proceed without incident.
As in previous years, the majority of pilgrims will travel via Ashkona Hajj Camp, with three airlines responsible for transporting passengers: Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate from Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet airports, while Saudia and Flynas will operate exclusively from Dhaka.
According to lunar calculations, Hajj will be observed on 5 June 2025, coinciding with 9 Zulhijjah of Hijri 1446.
Of this year’s pilgrims, 5,200 are travelling under government arrangements, with the remaining 81,900 under private management.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate 118 pre-Hajj and 109 post-Hajj flights.
Saudia will operate 80 pre-Hajj and 79 post-Hajj flights, while Flynas will handle 34 pre-Hajj and 35 post-Hajj flights.
The first return flight is expected on 10 June, with the final one scheduled for 10 July.
To manage the anticipated influx, Ashkona Hajj Camp has been equipped with 10 immigration desks each for Biman and Saudia passengers, and six desks for Flynas.
Additionally, Shahjalal Airport’s Terminal 2 will have 12 dedicated immigration desks for pilgrims travelling on regular commercial flights.
Authorities have taken lessons from past years to bolster preparations. Analysis presented at a Hajj management meeting on 25 February 2025, chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, showed that—excluding the pandemic years—over 100,000 Bangladeshis have performed Hajj annually.
In 2017, 125,738 pilgrims travelled, including 112,455 via Dhaka.
In 2018, 127,287 pilgrims participated, and in 2019, the figure was 127,607. Hajj activities were suspended for Bangladeshis during 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
In 2022, a limited Hajj saw 62,025 pilgrims, while 2023 witnessed a full return to normalcy with 122,569 pilgrims.
Notably, the number of pilgrims dropped slightly to 85,004 in 2024, as Hajj costs increased.
This year, however, the number has risen again to 87,100.
Immigration officials report significant improvements in pre-processing pilgrim information, allowing for faster verifications—ideally within 10 to 15 seconds—at immigration desks.
It is hoped that these efforts will spare pilgrims the bureaucratic delays that marred previous years.
