A total of 41 chartered flights carrying 13,800 Chinese Muslims had left as of Thursday for the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The last plane departed from Beijing on Thursday morning. A departure ceremony was held for the pilgrims, with attendees including officials from the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the Islamic Association of China, and Yahya bin Abdul-Kareem Al-Zaid, the Saudi ambassador to China.

Improved services covering food, travel, hotel and medical care are in place to ensure a safe and smooth journey for the pilgrims.

Chinese authorities have also taken precautions to prevent disease spreading among the pilgrims as an outbreak of a new respiratory disease was detected in Saudi Arabia in late September.

The pilgrimage to Mecca falls between Oct 23 and 27 this year. After the pilgrimage, Chinese Muslims will take return flights on chartered planes.

This year, China sent the largest number of pilgrims to Mecca. In 2011, about 13,700 Chinese Muslims made the trip.

The first flight left on Sept 25 from Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu province.

Able-bodied Muslims who can afford to do so have the religious duty of visiting Mecca at least once in their lifetimes.

China is home to more than 22 million Muslims, about half of whom are from the Hui ethnic group.

Chinese Muslims mainly live in the western provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan, and in the Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions.