DHAKA, May 18, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 63,261 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have so far reached Saudi Arabia on 163 Hajj flights.

Director of the Bangladesh Hajj Office Md Lokman Hossain said that 163 flights had landed in Jeddah as of 10am today.

According to the Hajj bulletin, 17 pilgrims had died due to natural causes as of yesterday. Of them, 12 were male and five were female. Twelve died in Makkah and five in Madinah.

It said that the Saudi medical team had provided treatment to 34,370 pilgrims, while the IT Helpdesk had offered medical services to 17,988 pilgrims till yesterday.

He said a total of 78,500 people from Bangladesh have been allowed to perform Hajj this year. Of them, 660 agencies are handling Hajj operations under private management, including 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies.

According to airline-wise data, 32,840 pilgrims arrived on 83 flights operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 21,965 on 58 flights of Saudi Airlines, and 8,456 on 22 flights of Flynas Airlines.

The remaining 15,126 pilgrims are expected to travel gradually through designated airlines, the director added.

The first Hajj flight (BG3001), carrying 418 pilgrims, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on April 17 at 11:57pm for King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The flight was inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

According to Hajj Office information, of the total pilgrims, 4,565 will perform Hajj under government management, while 73,935 will go under private arrangements.

The Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has so far issued a total of 78,387 visas, including 4,465 under government management and 73,922 under private management.

The holy Hajj will be held in Saudi Arabia on May 26.

The return Hajj flights will begin departing from Jeddah on May 30, while the last return Hajj flight is scheduled for June 30.