Malaysia Airlines is set to transport over 15,000 Malaysian pilgrims for this year’s Hajj season with the first flight scheduled to depart KL International Airport (KLIA) to Jeddah and Madinah on 14 July 2018.
In anticipating the first Hajj flight, Malaysia Airlines together with Tabung Haji have trained more than 400 of its staff including its cabin and technical crew, ground handlers as well as operational employees to provide pilgrims superior ground and in-flight services throughout their journey to the Holy Lands.
For this year’s Hajj season, Malaysia Airlines will be mounting 80 flights between Kuala Lumpur and Jeddah as well as Madinah on the A380-800. The airline will also be operating 88 feeder flights utilizing its B737-800 aircrafts to transport 13,200 pilgrims from Alor Setar, Pulau Pinang, Johor Baru, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuala Terengganu to KLIA.
Malaysia Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer Izham Ismail said, "We are honoured to be the carrier of choice once again by Tabung Haji to serve our Malaysian pilgrims to perform their Hajj. Our A380-800 has a seat configuration of 494 seats, which allows us to transport a high number of pilgrims without compromising on comfort.
“Our Hajj travelers are usually the more senior and elderly. For some, this might even be their first time flying on an aircraft or traveling outside Malaysia. This can be very stressful for the pilgrims, so having a sense of familiarity is important to them. Malaysia Airlines strives to provide pilgrims the comfort of home as soon as they board our aircraft and it is our hospitality that makes them feel right at home. Our trained crew and ground staff are experienced to cope with the demands of Hajj travels to ensure pilgrims are well taken care off and that they have the best journey for pilgrimage. On behalf of the airline, I wish them all a safe and blessed journey.”
The last Hajj flight to the Holy Land will depart KLIA on 15 August 2018. The second phase of the operations will commence on 29 August and will be completed on 25 September 2018.
