Hajj 2026 flight plan: seven cities, two Saudi gateways
PIA’s opening-day operation was built around Sialkot and Faisalabad departures to Madinah, including PK-747 from Sialkot and PK-4003 from Faisalabad. The airline planned to move more than 540 pilgrims on the first day before expanding the schedule to Multan, Islamabad, Quetta, Karachi and Lahore over the following days.
The scale of the operation comes as Saudi Arabia allocated Pakistan 179,210 Hajj places this year, with around 118,000 seats under the government scheme and the rest assigned to private operators, Arab News reported in its coverage of Pakistan’s Hajj quota and PIA schedule. PIA’s spokesperson said 49,000 of the carrier’s passengers would travel under the government scheme and more than 6,000 through private Hajj groups.
“Direct flights will be operated from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Quetta for the Hajj operation,” the PIA spokesperson said.
The city-by-city schedule shows how the airline is spreading the passenger load across major airports:
| Departure city | Planned PIA flights | Expected pilgrims |
|---|---|---|
| Islamabad | 46 | More than 15,400 |
| Karachi | 55 | More than 15,000 |
| Lahore | 34 | 12,377 |
| Faisalabad | 23 | 3,680 |
| Multan | 13 | 5,383 |
| Sialkot | 5 | 2,075 |
| Quetta | 15 | 4,487 |
Road to Makkah expansion supports Hajj 2026 departures
The travel operation is also tied to service-side changes before pilgrims reach Saudi Arabia. Dawn reported that the Road to Makkah project has been expanded to Lahore, alongside Karachi and Islamabad, and is expected to benefit more than 95,000 pilgrims this year. The program lets eligible pilgrims complete Saudi immigration and related formalities at their Pakistani departure airports, a step officials say should smooth arrivals in the Kingdom.
Officials also cited e-SIM cards, modern tents and train travel between holy sites as part of this year’s support package. For passengers, those measures matter because the Hajj journey is not only an airlift; it also depends on immigration handling, ground transport, communications access and coordination between Pakistani and Saudi authorities.
Continuity from earlier Hajj operations
The 2026 schedule also shows an increase from recent PIA-linked Hajj operations. In 2025, Dawn reported PIA completed 147 pre-Hajj flights for 42,400 pilgrims, including government and private passengers. In 2024, Arab News reported PIA concluded its pre-Hajj operation with 35,030 pilgrims on 171 flights, with departures from Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and Peshawar and connecting travel for Sukkur and Quetta pilgrims.
That recent history makes the 191-flight plan significant beyond the headline figure. It reflects a larger PIA role in Pakistan’s annual pilgrimage logistics, a wider city network and a heavier reliance on coordinated airport services as tens of thousands of travelers move during a short pre-Hajj window.
For pilgrims, the practical test will be punctuality, clear schedule information, airport handling and assistance in both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. For PIA, the operation is a high-visibility national service assignment, with the airline expected to complete its pre-Hajj departures before the May 21 deadline.
