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Pilgrims stranded in Jeddah as Haj flights go topsy-turvy

Several thousand Indian pilgrims were stranded at the special Haj terminal of the international airport of Jeddah, as the Haj flights schedule went haywire due to various reasons. Scores of pilgrims had to wait for several days at the airport for transportation to Bombay and other places.

The inept handling of pilgrims by the authorities also complicate problems for Air-India, which has sought the service of Middle East Airlines for transporting over 64,000 Hajis.

Hundreds of pilgrims waited for more than two days at the airport to get their flight to Bombay, as one of the aircraft carrying the pilgrims, developed a technical snag last week. Air-India had to operate at least three flights on April 16 and 17 to clear the rush.

Although the pilgrims were provided food at the airport, their stay was unbearable due to the unprecedented rush of Hajis from other countries. There was hardly any space to accommodate all the pilgrims, resulting in many taking ill. The local aviation authorities were unable to provide aerobridge facilities to Air-India aircraft, which delayed almost all the flights.

Delay in flights has become a routine, the pilgrims stated. "I was kept at the airport for 36 hours, and my wife and a couple of other passengers fainted because of the huge crowd of pilgrims inside the terminal building," says Mirajuddin, former chief engineer. However, an Indian dispensary has been set up at the airport complex to render medical assistance to the ailing passengers.

The pilgrims stated that all Haj flights are now running behind schedule. The flights to Delhi and other centres have been delayed by ten to 20 hours. However, aviation authorities say they are making every effort to minimise the trouble of the pilgrims.

The pilgrims also complain that the local mollaims (guides) dump them at the airport at least one day before flight departure. In some cases the Hajis were brought to the airport by the local guides two days ahead of departure. They are not given time to get information about their flight schedule, creating a lot of hardships for the pilgrims.

Once the Haj pilgrimage is over, the guides pack the pilgrims in buses and send them to the airport where they are given a passport. The passport is retained by the guides during the pilgrims's stay in Saudi Arabia.

Air-India will operate over 150 special flights from Jeddah to bring back the pilgrims, and is operating direct flights to Madras, Bangalore, Calcutta, Bombay and Delhi to airlift the pilgrims. While 64,000 pilgrims will be brought by Air-India, 25,000 Hajis, who went on the international passport, will return by normal flights.

UNI

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