DHAKA: Bangladesh has completed its special Hajj flight operations with the last batch of pilgrims leaving Dhaka on Saturday to join tens of thousands of others who have already arrived in the Kingdom.

Bangladeshis will be among 2 million Muslims arriving in Makkah and Madinah for the biggest Hajj pilgrimage in years. The number of pilgrims is expected to be at least double the number last year, when travel restrictions were still in place in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Data from the Saudi General Directorate of Passports shows that over 1.6 million people have already arrived from abroad to perform Hajj rituals next week. Among them, nearly 240,000 traveled under the Makkah Route initiative — a flagship program launched by the Kingdom in 2019.

Makkah Route allows pilgrims to fulfill all visa, customs and health requirements at the airport of origin, saving long hours of waiting. Upon arrival, pilgrims can enter Saudi Arabia having already gone through visa and customs processes back home.

Bangladesh is among seven Muslim-majority countries — including Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Turkiye and Cote d’Ivoire — where Saudi Arabia opened the program.

“The Makkah Route initiative made the pilgrims’ journey very smooth,” Kazi Mohammed Murad Alam, head of IT operations at the Hajj Office in Dhaka, told Arab News.

“With the departure of today’s last flight from Dhaka, a total of 122,558 Bangladeshi pilgrims will perform the holy Hajj this year … Everything went fine at our end in terms of Hajj flights, visas, etc.”

All the pilgrims departing from Dhaka have been assisted by Saudi immigration officials since the beginning of Hajj flights in late May.

“The Kingdom’s authorities are working round the clock to facilitate processes for the pilgrims. It’s a mammoth task,” Alam said.

“We are really grateful to the Kingdom’s authorities for managing these Hajj operations smoothly.”

Mahbubul Alam, a 64-year-old pilgrim leaving Dhaka on Saturday, said the immigration process took him only one minute.

“This helped me a lot to concentrate on the Hajj rituals. Performing all the Hajj rituals requires good health and a sound mind,” he told Arab News, as he waited to board his flight.

“After completing pre-immigration, I felt a kind of peace in my soul. I hope Allah will grant my prayers on this journey.”

For Rokeya Begum, 53, a pilgrim from the southern Khulna district who was flying with her husband, the journey will also be the first time she travels outside Bangladesh.

“At the airport, everything seems very calm and quiet. It’s an environment full of serenity. Saudi immigration officials working here are very cordial and helpful. All of them are treating us like very distinguished guests,” she said.

“I hope everything will be fine after landing in the Kingdom also. I will pray for the well-being of my family, friends, and countrymen, and also the people of Saudi Arabia who are hosting Muslims from around the world as they fulfill one of the obligations of Islam.”