KUALA LUMPUR: Some 320 Malaysians left the country on Monday for Saudi Arabia en route to take part in the Hajj pilgrimage. It was the first batch of some 14,000 Malaysia Muslims that will head to the Gulf country to participate in the Hajj, a requirement of all able Muslims at least once in their lifetime. Kuale Lumpur Airport Services Berhad (KLAS) Chairman Abdul Mutalib Muhamed Razak said KLAS was operating 61 flights through Saudi Arabian Airlines for Hajj pilgrims this year. “About 14,000 Haj pilgrims have chosen to use Saudi Arabian Airlines this year, which is half of the total 28,000 pilgrims,” he told reporters. Earlier, he presented contributions of food and drinks to the first batch of pilgrims. The pilgrims will be welcomed by 600 Tabung Haji officers and personnel who are stationed in Medina and Mecca. It comes after worries that Riyadh would have reduced the number of Malaysians able to perform the Hajj after a group of Malaysians had participated in a protest last summer, but the government in Saudi did not act on its threats and the quota this year remained the same.