In the early hours of Monday, Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-537 departed Osmani International Airport at 1:25 a.m., carrying 419 pilgrims directly to Madinah, marking the first direct Hajj flight of the season from Sylhet. 

The flight was preceded by a formal inauguration ceremony at the airport's Departure Lounge at 09:30 p.m. on Sunday. The ceremony was opened by the Minister for Commerce, Industry, Textiles and Jute, Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, and presided over by Biman's Sylhet District Manager, Md. Shariful Alam.

Special guests included Dr. Mohammad Enamul Haq Chowdhury, Adviser to the BNP Chairperson, and Hafiz Ahmed, Manager of Osmani International Airport. Station Manager Shakil Ahmed delivered a welcome address.

In his address, Minister Muktadir reaffirmed the government's commitment to public service as its foremost obligation. Announcing a significant fleet expansion, he revealed that Biman is in the process of procuring fourteen new aircraft from Boeing — a move he said would substantially extend the carrier's network and operational capacity.

"Our ambition goes beyond profitability," he said. "We want Biman to earn recognition as a proud national flag carrier on the world stage — that is our vision for the years ahead."

Speaking as a special guest, Dr. Enamul Haq Chowdhury described the occasion of bidding farewell to the pilgrims as deeply auspicious. He commended the government for its sincere commitment to the welfare of pilgrims.

Biman is scheduled to operate a total of seven direct flights from Sylhet during this Hajj season. The initiative is expected to spare thousands of pilgrims from the Sylhet division the burden of travelling to Dhaka for connecting flights—offering them a more dignified and convenient start to their sacred journey.