Dhaka: The first Biman Bangladesh Limited flight carrying home the Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia has been delayed by six hours.

The Biman flight BG-6012 was scheduled to arrive at about 9:20am, said Hajj control room officials.

The control room assistant controller told NTV Online the aircraft did not leave Saudi Arabia.

It has been known that the first hajj flight will be reached at about 3:30pm now.

The control room officials said several hajj flights are taking off from Saudi Arabia and the airport authorities are taking time to issue boarding passes to the pilgrims, causing the Biman flight to fail to leave airport in the scheduled time.

Earlier, on Sunday, a Saudi Airlines flight carrying 305 pilgrims landed in Bangladesh at about 4:30pm.

Bangladesh Biman flights will carry 54,845 out of the total 1, 07,290 pilgrims by operating 140 Dhaka-Jeddah flights including 109 dedicated and 31 scheduled.

The rest of the hajj pilgrims will return home by the aircrafts of Saudi Arabia Airlines.

Earlier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines carried 54,845 hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia through operating 152 Dhaka-Jeddah flights from 16 August to 17 September.

The return hajj flights will continue till 28 October.