Guwahati: The Hajj pilgrimage for this year from Assam and other Northeastern states will begin from April 18. From that day, special flights operated by Saudi Arabia’s airline Flyadeal will depart from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Borjhar, Guwahati, carrying pilgrims to Medina. The flight operations will continue until April 21.
This year, a total of around 2,569 pilgrims from the Northeastern states, including Assam, will undertake the sacred Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Out of these, 2,544 pilgrims are from Assam alone.
Addressing a press conference held at the Haji Musafirkhana in Guwahati, Joint State Hajj Committee President Nekibur Zaman shared details about the upcoming pilgrimage. He informed that district-level training programs for all pilgrims have already been completed.
Pilgrims scheduled to depart on April 18 at 7:00 AM from Borjhar Airport will be transported to the airport from Haji Musafirkhana after midnight on April 17. To ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience, an Airport Hajj Reception Committee has been formed, similar to previous years. The committee is headed by retired senior government official Alhaj Altaf Hussain.
Flights from Guwahati will directly reach Medina, where pilgrims will stay in designated hotels for a few days before proceeding to Mecca. During their stay in Medina and Mecca, pilgrims from Assam will wear traditional Assamese ‘gamocha’ around their necks for identification, and flags bearing the gamocha will be displayed outside their hotels.
The outbound journey to Medina will continue until April 21, while the return journey from Mecca to Guwahati is expected to begin approximately 42 days after departure.
Notably, 17 Khadims (official assistants) will accompany the pilgrims this year to provide support. Among the total pilgrims, 1,763 are male, while 806 are female.
The press conference was also attended by Executive President Omar Rashid and General Secretary Sajid Rahman of the committee.
Additionally, pilgrims will also depart from other airports across India: 668 from Kolkata, 28 from Delhi, 218 from Mumbai, 8 from Bengaluru, 2 from Lucknow, and 1 from Hyderabad.
All necessary arrangements and preparations for the pilgrims have already been completed by the Hajj Committee.
