Dhaka, May 15 -- Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) will operate a total of 80 dedicated Hajj flights carrying 30,485 pilgrims to Jeddah and Madinah from Bangladesh this year.

The maiden hajj flight to Jeddah, operated with a Boeing 777-300, departed Dhaka on April 29, carrying 398 pilgrims.

AFM Khalid Hossain, Advisor to the Ministry of Religious Affairs; Sk Bashir Uddin, Advisor to Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism: Abdulaziz Fahad M Al Ibrahim, Acting Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Bangladesh; Nasren Jahan, Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism' and Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan, Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh; were present at the inauguration ceremony of Saudia's hajj operations in Bangladesh on April 28...