Dhaka, Nov. 14 -- The advisory council of the interim government on Thursday approved a proposal to exempt excise duty on air tickets for Bangladeshi pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj in 2026, in a bid to reduce the overall cost of the pilgrimage.

According to official sources, the Ministry of Religious Affairs requested the issuance of an order to waive the excise duty on air tickets for Hajj 2026 pilgrims.

Bangladesh, currently the fourth-largest sender of Hajj pilgrims in the world, has been taking various measures to make Hajj more affordable for its citizens.

A review of the matter shows that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) earlier granted full exemption from excise duty on air tickets for Hajj 2025 under a s...