India’s first flight carrying 18 Hajis took off from Hyderabad in 1946– Here’re other details

Hyderabad: On 22nd October 1946, India’s first flight carrying Haj pilgrims took off from Hyderabad. Before that, pilgrims used to opt for a sea route to perform Haj.

According to the report published in Times of India, the first flight carried 18 Hajis. Two Deccan Airways Dakota aircraft took off from Begumpet Airport in 1946 amid slogans “Allah-u-Akbar”. Khan Bahadur Nawab Ahmed Nawaz Jung was also traveling on that flight.

It may be noted that at that time, there was no flight from other Indian cities to Jeddah.

The name of the pilot who took off the first flight was Captain Cox and Munshi was Junior Captain. The technical support was provided by Nasir, Radio Officer and Lord, Flight Engineer.

It may be mentioned that Deccan Airways was the leading airlines in British India. In 1948, the service of Deccan Airways was stopped due to political uncertainty. It was again started in 1949 after the Police Action.