Online Desk: First hajj flight will leave Dhaka with pilgrims on May 21, said State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan on Wednesday. “Hajj registration time will not be extended further. And it is not possible to reduce the cost of hajj packages.”

On March 30, the government extended the registration deadline for hajj till April 5 in a bid to fulfill the registration quota. On January 9, the government signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia over hajj. According to the agreement, 15,000 people will be able to go to hajj under government management while 112,198 can go under private management.

Of these, 9,935 and 108,351 pilgrims have already registered under the government and the private management system respectively. This year, 70 per cent Bangladeshi pilgrims will go through Jeddah Airport, while the rest 30 per cent will go through Madinah Airport.

Meanwhile, the government reduced the cost of hajj packages under both public and private managements by Tk 11,725 as Saudi Arabia has reduced a service charge for the intending pilgrims worldwide. Pilgrims who will perform hajj under the government management have to pay Tk 6, 71,290 each to perform hajj this year after deduction of Tk 11,725. Besides, those who will go under private management have to pay Tk 6, 60,893 each after deduction of the amount.