Kuala lumpur: A total of 258 Malaysian haj pilgrims, forming the final batch, safely arrived home today, completing the entire 1447H/2026M haj season operations which proceeded smoothly and excellently despite challenges arising from the conflict in West Asia.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan stated that the group landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 12.10 pm. They traveled on a Malaysia Airlines flight (MH 8385) which took off from Madinah at 10.14 pm (Saudi Arabian time) on Tuesday.
"Alhamdulillah, today officially marks the end of the haj operations for the 1447 Hijrah season. We express our utmost gratitude as all our haj pilgrims have safely departed and returned in good health," he told reporters after welcoming the final flight here today.
The event was also attended by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Marhamah Rosli and Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain.
Dr Zulkifli highlighted that Malaysia's haj operations success this season gained international recognition. The country received the Labbaikum Diamond Award, the highest accolade from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Haj and Umrah, acknowledging the world's best haj management and services.
He expressed appreciation to all haj personnel, including those from TH, the Health Ministry, airlines, the Immigration Department of Malaysia, other government agencies, and logistics service providers who contributed to the smooth running of this year's operations.
Dr Zulkifli also noted that the discipline and commitment of Malaysian pilgrims significantly contributed to the success of the country's operations. This achievement was attributed to the intensive courses and preparation conducted by TH before the pilgrims' departure to the Holy Land.
Looking ahead to the next haj season, Dr Zulkifli mentioned that TH has started post-mortem processes and evaluations to identify areas for improvement.
"Among the enhancements implemented during this year's haj season were more intensive haj courses, the use of the MyNIISe system to ease visa management, the provision of sofa beds and better tents in the Holy Land, 24-hour bus services from mosques to accommodations, and the deployment of TH's Semut Hitam (Black Ants) team to assist pilgrims," he elaborated.
He further added that the National Haj Muzakarah (conference) is scheduled to be held this August to discuss issues and propose improvements for future management of the country's haj operations.