Fuente: © Malaysia Airlines
http://www.malaysiaairlines.com.my/

MALAYSIA AIRLINES WELCOMES HOME FIRST BATCH OF HAJ PILGRIMS

/noticias.info/ Malaysia Airlines flight MH 8201 with 465 Malaysian Haj Pilgrims landed safely at the KL International Airport (KLIA) early this morning. This was the first of the 44 flights operated by Malaysia Airlines, to transport 18,420 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Malaysia.

Of the 44 flights, 24 are operated using Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747-400 aircraft uplifting 9,120 passengers. The remaining 20 are being operated using a leased Boeing 747-300 aircraft to uplift 9,300 passengers.

On hand to receive the pilgrims on the first flight were Malaysia Airlines Assistant General Manager (Haj & Charter), Captain Haji Nik Huzlan and officials of Lembaga Tabung Haji.

On arrival of the flight, Capt. Haji Nik Huzlan said, “This is the beginning of our safe and successful transportation of our Haj Pilgrims back to Malaysia. This success has been possible due to the cooperation and commitment by various government departments and agencies like Lembaga Tabung Haji, Immigration and Malaysia Airports Berhad.

Also, through the support from the Saudi Arabia government, we have made all arrangements in the Holy land to ensure our pilgrims’ safe return to Malaysia.”

For these return flights, Malaysia Airlines will transport 14,240 pilgrims on 33 services from Jeddah. Another 4,180 pilgrims will depart Madinah on 11 flights and 5 of these will land in KLIA whilst the remaining 6 flights will be arriving in Penang.

As the departures from Jeddah commenced yesterday, the flight from Madinah, MH 8275 will depart 2 February 2006 and arrive Kuala Lumpur the same day at 1750 hrs. MH 8323, the last flight from Madinah on 13 February 2006 at 0225 hrs is expected to arrive Kuala Lumpur at 1545 hrs on the same day.

The return Haj flights will come to a close with the arrival of MH8325 from Jeddah at KLIA on 14 February 2006 scheduled at 0645 hrs.

Malaysia Airlines introduced its first Haj flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah on 01 April 1974, using a leased Boeing 707 aircraft. By 1981, in response to increased demand, Malaysia Airlines switched to DC-10 aircraft to operate the Haj services and in the following year two Boeing 747 aircraft were leased for this service.

In 2002, Malaysia Airlines collaborated with Lembaga Tabung Haji by operating 13 scheduled Haj Charter flights, uplifting more than 4,500 pilgrims for the first time out of KL International airport (KLIA) since it shifted its home base to KLIA from Subang. Including this Haj season, Malaysia Airlines has uplifted a total of 72,948 pilgrims.
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