16,000 seats remain vacant as deadline nears for private Hajj bookings

ISLAMABAD: With just four days left before the closure of bookings under the private Hajj scheme, around 16,000 seats are yet to be filled.

Bookings under the private scheme will remain open until October 17, after which the Ministry of Religious Affairs will shut down its online registration portal. Officials clarified that no extension in the deadline is under consideration.

According to the report, roughly 44,000 pilgrims have confirmed their bookings so far out of the total quota of 60,000 allocated for this year. Private Hajj operators have reportedly arranged travel for around 23,000 pilgrims over the past 25 days.

Hajj 2026 applications open on Monday with ‘first-come-first-served policy’

The ministry has directed private operators to accelerate the booking process and intensify awareness campaigns to ensure that all remaining slots are utilised before the deadline.

This year, the quota for private operators has been cut from 90,000 to 60,000 pilgrims, of which 38,346 seats have been assigned to approved operators.

Meanwhile, about 21,654 pilgrims who were unable to perform Hajj last year due to various reasons will also be accommodated under the current arrangements. Monitoring Desk