Dhaka: The first dedicated return flight of the national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines arrived Dhaka at 8:30pm on Monday.  

A total of 419 hajj pilgrims arrived by the first return flight which was scheduled to land here at 9:20 this morning.  

‘Our aircraft was ready at Jeddah to fly on time but the Hajj pilgrims had not reported at the terminal within the specified time. Many of them came late,’ Public Relations Officer Tasnim Aktar told BSS.  

She said another hajj flight will arrive midnight tonight. The Biman's return hajj flights will continue till 28 October, she added.  

The national flag carrier 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. 

Of the flights, 16 were operated from Chittagong and three from Sylhet.