Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has declared a significant price cut for pilgrims making the Umrah to Saudi Arabia. A representative for PIA claims that pilgrims making the journey from Pakistan to Madina will receive reduced prices.
Taxes not included, the round-trip ticket for Umrah from Karachi to Madina will be Rs76,000. The round-trip ticket from Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, and Sialkot to Madina will cost Rs86,000.
The national flag carrier has lowered pilgrims’ Umrah fares by Rs 34,000 rupees. The ticket is now only Rs86,000. It was before Rs 120,000. According to a PIA representative, this price is available right now and will last through July 15.
The national carrier lowered the one-way fares for Saudi citizens and those with work visas by 30% on April 4 of this year, and by 20% for pilgrims making the Hajj. Travellers who wanted to take advantage of the offer could visit Jeddah and Madina between April 7 and April 11.
The pre-Hajj flight operation, which started on May 9 to transport over 70,105 prospective Pakistani pilgrims to the holy cities of Saudi Arabia under the government scheme, proceeded well and on schedule, according to official sources at the Pakistan Hajj Mission, who spoke with APP.
According to the sources, 38,150 pilgrims from Pakistan—or nearly 54.35% of the total—had made it to Madinah and Makkah. An audited report states that as of April 8, PIA’s financial performance for the nine months ending in January to September 2023 reached a noteworthy milestone.
The national flag carrier recorded a stunning rise in income at this time, reaching Rs186 billion. This was a significant increase of Rs14 billion over the same period in 2022, indicating growth in spite of obstacles.
In the first nine months of 2023, PIA lost Rs75 billion, even with the increase in income. Nonetheless, this statistic shows a significant improvement over the prior year, with losses down by Rs12 billion when compared to 2022.
