THAI official Hajj airline for Thai Muslims this year
Published: 26/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
The government has approved Thai Airways International as the official carrier of Thai Muslims to Saudi Arabia to perform this year's Hajj, the world's largest annual pilgrimage.
The mandate has given the flag carrier an edge over Bangkok-serving Arab carriers competing to attract Thai Hajj pilgrims, mostly from southern Thailand, to Saudi Arabia, through connections in their countries.
The flag carrier has arranged 60 special services with 8,850 seats between Sept 29 and Nov 28 to transport Thai Muslims to Saudi Arabia and back, THAI vice-president Dullayapong Sukhanusas said yesterday.
The flights depart from four Thai airports - Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi, Hat Yai, Phuket and Krabi - for Medinah, the second holiest city in Islam, while THAI is to pick up the Thai pilgrims back in Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, to the originating Thai cities.
The bulk of THAI's Hajj flights will be from Hat Yai, with 26 flights, followed by Phuket 2, Krabi and Suvarnabhumi 1, all will be on Airbus A330-300 jetliner with 295 seats.
THAI's flights departing Thailand to Madinah run from Sept 29 to Oct 15, while returning flights take place between Nov 12 and 28.
The airline has fixed round-trip fares, excluding airport passenger service charges, at 48,500 baht for flights originating from Hat Yai, 47,500 baht for both Phuket and Krabi and 45,500 baht for Suvarnabhumi.
THAI will offer a larger baggage allowance, up to 30 kg, from the normal 20 kg, to passengers on Hajj flights, while allowing them to put up to one gallon (five litres) of Zam Zam, which in Islamic belief, was a miraculously generated source of water from God, on return flights to Thailand, in the cargo hold.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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