Can I end my Umrah in Madina and leave Saudi Arabia from there?

Yes. Pilgrims can enter and leave the kingdom through Madina's airport as well as Jeddah, so a trip that finishes at the Prophet's Mosque can end with the flight home. It saves a long road journey back to the coast on your last day.

May I check Zamzam water into my suitcase for Chattogram?

Do not assume so. Airlines set their own rules for how Zamzam is carried, and Biman is the one to ask before you buy a container. Packing it loose inside a suitcase risks leaks over everything else and a refusal at check-in.

Should my family use Saudi or Bangladesh time when meeting the plane?

Bangladesh time, which is 3 hours ahead of Madina. Saudi Arabia keeps UTC+3 and Bangladesh UTC+6, with no seasonal change in either country, so the gap never shifts. Relatives at Shah Amanat should go by Bangladesh time on your ticket.

How do I stop my dates and gifts going over 30 kg?

Weigh as you shop rather than on the last night. Boxed dates are dense, so a few kilos disappear quickly. Put prayer mats and clothing in the suitcase, keep the heaviest food boxes together in one well-taped carton, and use the 7 kg cabin bag for the passport, medicine and anything breakable.

Will the airport be crowded in Hajj season?

Expect it. Charter flights are added during Hajj and the busy Umrah months, so check-in and passport control at Madina take longer than on a quiet week. Arrive with time to spare, especially when travelling on your own rather than with an agency group.

Is the Madina terminal new, and which company manages it?

Fairly new. TAV Airports manages it under a 25-year concession signed in 2011, with the state aviation authority as owner. The present terminal was inaugurated in 2015, and the longer of its two runways is 4,335 m.

My uncle calls it MA Hannan airport. Is that the same place?

Yes. It was renamed on 2 April 2005 in honour of Shah Amanat, an 18th-century Islamic saint. Before that it carried the name MA Hannan International Airport.

Can I change to a domestic flight at Shah Amanat without moving buildings?

Yes. There is one passenger terminal, with an international section and a domestic section that each have their own boarding bridge. A connecting domestic flight therefore leaves from the same building you arrived in.

Which part of Chattogram should I book for the first night home?

GEC is the central option, with two of the hotels under Where to stay. Agrabad suits business visitors, with two more. The five-star hotel is at Lalkhan Bazar, and a budget room beside the railway station suits anyone travelling on by train.

Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz to Chattogram Flights

Q: Is Patenga a long way from GEC Circle with luggage?

Far enough to plan for. The airport sits in Patenga, on the north bank of the Karnaphuli, about 20 km from GEC Circle and 18.5 km from the railway station. Book a car in advance if relatives are not collecting you, as cartons from Saudi Arabia rarely fit in a CNG.

Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz to Chattogram flight guide

Flying from Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz to Chattogram

Updated 4 November 2026
5 min read

In short

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is the only airline flying nonstop from Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madina (MED) to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram (CGP). The 5,292 km flight takes about 6 hours 45 minutes, so pilgrims who spend the last days of Umrah in Madina can fly home without a long ride back to Jeddah.

Ending an Umrah trip at Madina on BG138

Pilgrims can enter and leave the kingdom through Madina as well as Jeddah, so a trip that ends at the Prophet's Mosque can finish with the flight home. BG138 runs twice a week.

The airport is reached by road from the hotels around the Haram. Agency coaches usually do the run; if travelling alone, leave early. Charter flights are added during Hajj and the busy Umrah months, so check-in and passport control take longer then.

The present terminal was inaugurated in 2015. TAV Airports manages it under a 25-year concession signed in 2011, with the state aviation authority as owner, and the longer of its two runways is 4,335 m.

Dates and gifts within a 30 kg allowance

Dates from Madina's markets, prayer mats and gifts all go into a 30 kg checked allowance, with 7 kg for the cabin bag. Boxed dates are dense, so weigh as you shop. Put mats and clothing in the suitcase, the heaviest food boxes together in one well-taped carton, and the passport, medicine and anything breakable in the cabin bag.

Ask Biman how it wants Zamzam water carried before you buy any. Packing it loose in a suitcase risks leaks and a refusal at check-in.

Shah Amanat, the airport once called MA Hannan

Older relatives may still call it MA Hannan airport; it was renamed on 2 April 2005 after Shah Amanat, an 18th-century Islamic saint. There is one passenger building split into international and domestic sections, each with its own boarding bridge, so a domestic connection leaves from the building you arrived in.

Bangladeshi citizens clear immigration on their passports and are soon among the relatives on the forecourt. The airport sits in Patenga on the north bank of the Karnaphuli, about 20 km from GEC Circle and 18.5 km from the railway station. Book a car in advance if no one is collecting you, as cartons from Saudi Arabia rarely fit in a CNG.

For a first night home, GEC is the central choice, Agrabad suits business visitors, the five-star option is at Lalkhan Bazar, and a budget room beside the railway station suits anyone travelling on by train.