SEPANG: The first batch of hajj personnel who will be on duty throughout the haj season has left for Saudi Arabia.
According to Tabung Haji, there will be 632 Malaysian haj personnel sent in stages to make early preparations to welcome the pilgrims.
Two flights carrying a total of 74 personnel departed from KLIA Thursday morning (Apr 24).
The Group managing director and chief executive officer of Lembaga Tabung Haji, Datuk Syed Hamadah Syed Othman, said that as in previous years, Tabung Haji is deploying its haj personnel comprehensively across various sectors, including management of hostels and zones, healthcare, religious guidance for Hajj and visits, finance, media, transportation, catering, baggage handling, customer service, and more.
The first batch which departed from KLIA Thursday morning included a team of 19 media personnel from various mass media, including The Star.
They will provide continuous reporting on the 31,600 Malaysian pilgrims who will be in Mecca during the haj.
“For the 2025 haj season, there are two main groups of personnel: the welfare delegation with 358 individuals, and the medical delegation with 274 individuals. I believe this combination of diverse backgrounds, expertise, and experience forms a strong team capable of delivering excellent service to our country's pilgrims.
"The Hajj personnel will ensure all preparations are in optimal condition before the arrival of Malaysian pilgrims in Madinah and Mecca," said Syed Hamadah.
The first flight of Malaysian haj pilgrims will depart on April 29, while the final flight is scheduled for June1.
A total of 100 special chartered flights will be used to transport Malaysian pilgrims, involving AMAL by Malaysia Airlines Bhd and Saudia Airlines.
Pilgrims will check in at one of the eight departure stations across Malaysia, namely in Kota Baru, Kuala Terengganu, Alor Setar, Bayan Lepas, Senai, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, and KLIA.
