FIRST BATCH OF 632 HAJ PERSONNEL DEPARTS FOR SAUDI ARABIA TODAY -TH

PUTRAJAYA, April 24 (Bernama) -- A total of 632 Haj personnel are being sent in stages to Saudi Arabia starting today to prepare for the 1446H/2025M Haj season.

Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) group managing director and chief executive officer, Datuk Syed Hamadah Syed Othman, said as in previous years, TH is deploying personnel across various sectors including hostel and zone management, healthcare, religious guidance and visits, finance, media, transportation, catering, baggage handling, customer service and others.

“For the 1446H Haj season, there are two main groups of personnel,  358 under the welfare delegation and 274 under the medical delegation.

“I believe the combination of diverse backgrounds, expertise and experience will form a strong team capable of delivering excellent services to Malaysian pilgrims,” he said in a statement today.

He added that two flights carrying 74 personnel departed today, with the remaining team members scheduled to depart in phases to ensure all preparations are in place before the arrival of Malaysian pilgrims in Madinah and Makkah.

“All frontline personnel have undergone comprehensive training to enhance their efficiency, knowledge and skills, ensuring they are fully prepared and well-equipped to serve the 31,600 Malaysian pilgrims,” he added.

The first flight carrying Malaysian pilgrims is scheduled to depart on April 29, with the final flight on June 1. This year, Wukuf Day, which falls on the 9th day of Zulhijjah, is expected to take place on Thursday, June 5.

A total of 100 chartered flights operated by AMAL by Malaysia Airlines Bhd and Saudia Airlines will be used to transport Malaysian pilgrims.

Eight departure stations across the country have been designated for pilgrims to report to - Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Alor Setar, Bayan Lepas, Senai, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

-- BERNAMA