SEPANG, May 8 — The first group of 282 Malaysian pilgrims will depart for the Holy Land early Thursday morning (May 9).

Malaysia Airlines flight MH8050 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 to Madinah will depart at 12.05am and is expected to arrive at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Madinah at 3.50am local time.

The sending-off ceremony for the first group of pilgrims from Kelantan and Kedah was officiated by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar and the Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain.

Also present were the TH group managing director and chief executive officer Syed Hamadah Syed Othman, and Hajj executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman.

Mohd Na’im in a statement issued in conjunction with the ceremony reminded pilgrims to always take care of their health and personal hygiene in addition to following the advice of TH during the Haj period.

"On behalf of the government and all Malaysians, I pray that Allah will ease the journey of the Haj pilgrims and that they complete their Haj well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Syed Hamadah in the same statement said that this year, a total of 100 chartered flights for Haj, operated by AMAL by Malaysia Airlines Bhd and Saudia Airlines, are arranged to transport 31,600 pilgrims to the Holy Land.

"TH has undertaken meticulous planning and preparations since the conclusion of last year’s Haj operation to ensure a smooth experience for Malaysian pilgrims during this year’s Haj,” he said in a statement today.

The last flight for Malaysian pilgrims to the Holy Land is scheduled for June 9, 2024.

This year, the Day of Arafah (Wukuf Day) is expected to be on Saturday, June 15. — Bernama