SONGKHLA, Thailand – The first Thai Airways flight from Hat Yai, Songkhla to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, took off Monday (September 17th) with 295 Thai pilgrims aboard.

The Nation reported that the charter flight was part of a project jointly organised by the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC), the Religious Affairs Department and related agencies.

Under the project, an estimated 13,000 Thai Muslims will go to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj this year: 9,000 from the southern border provinces, according to MCOT Online. They will fly into Jeddah, the principal gateway to Islam's holiest city.