As the Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced to release schedule of flight operation after Eidul Fitr, the Pakistan Haj Mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is all set to receive and serve over 119,000 intending pilgrims after enhancement of government scheme’s quota for Haj-2026.
The sources said the Haj flight operation to airlift intending pilgrims from Pakistan to KSA will start on April 18. However, the intending pilgrims will be apprised of their schedule after Eid.
“Do not believe in rumours due to global situation. The ministry is actively working in processing of Haj visas, flight schedules”, the spokesman of the Ministry said, adding the intending pilgrims would be apprised of details of their flights and accommodation in Makkah and Madina after Eid.
With the passage of every year, the services’ delivery in KSA (particularly Haj 2025) for Pakistanis has seen considerable improvement and the same is also praised by devotees coming from other countries.
The Mission stands as a landmark in operational excellence, building upon the transformative success of Haj 2025 — a year that redefined the country’s pilgrimage management. For the first time in national history, fully air-conditioned Mashair facilities were introduced for government scheme pilgrims, a milestone that elevated service standards.
This achievement was acknowledged with Director General Haj Abdul Wahab Soomro receiving first position in the prestigious Saudi Excellence Awards, an honor bestowed upon only eight Haj Mission heads worldwide.
The resulting surge in public confidence was unprecedented: over 400,000 applications were received for Haj 2026 — four times more the typical demand and reversing the trend of underutilized quotas seen in 2023 and 2024. Government Scheme continues to offer one of the most affordable pilgrimage packages globally, with costs among the lowest in Saudi Riyals.
Despite being categorized as “D” class, the services provided — especially in terms of accommodation, transport, and Mashair arrangements — have set new benchmarks.
This has led to a unique phenomenon: even private Haj operators, traditionally catering to higher-end A and B category pilgrims, are now striving to match the standards set by the government’s D category.
The surge in demand has also been fueled by the growing popularity of the Short Haj model. Introduced in 2024 with 17,000 participants, it has seen exponential growth, reaching 41,000 pilgrims in 2026. This flexible option has empowered working professionals, families, and elderly pilgrims to align their spiritual journey with personal schedules, stamina, and financial capacity. Now firmly mainstream, the Short Haj is recognized as one of Pakistan’s most successful policy innovations in recent years.
Haj 2026 also unfolds within a restructured Saudi Haj ecosystem. The Kingdom has transitioned from the traditional Moassassah system—where nationalities were assigned fixed areas in Mina and Arafat—to a corporate, first-come-first-served model. Within this transformed landscape, Haj 2026 has emerged as a model of scale, precision, and data-driven planning.
Owing to the unprecedented success of Haj 2025, the Prime Minister entrusted the Haj Mission with an additional 30,000 pilgrims, bringing the total to 119,216 under the Government Scheme.
