Flight cancellations strand 500 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia

CH NEWS, MANGALURU Around 500 Umrah pilgrims who travelled from Mangaluru are stranded in Saudi Arabia after flight operations were suspended at major airports following attacks by Houthi rebels, stated the Dakshina Kannada Haj Umrah Private Tour Organisers' Association. Addressing a press meet, Association Vice-President Usman Saadi Pattori appealed to the state and union governments to immediately intervene and facilitate their safe return to India. He explained that the pilgrims, hailing from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasargod, and Chikkamagaluru districts, had departed for Makkah and Madinah from the Mangaluru International Airport after September 20. Although their initial 15-day hotel bookings have expired, they have been permitted to continue their stay. However, they remain in a state of uncertainty as they are unable to travel back home. Pattori highlighted the financial challenges faced by travel agencies due to the sudden flight cancellations. The ticket refund process is likely to be delayed. Furthermore, travel agencies are finding it difficult to recover advance payments made to hotels for pilgrim accommodations, leading to severe financial losses, he said. The association urged airlines to process refunds as per regulations and requested the concerned authorities to sympathetically consider the financial plight of the travel agencies regarding the hotel bookings. They also appealed to the passengers and pilgrims to cooperate with the travel agencies and grant them the necessary time to process the refunds. The flight cancellations have also disrupted the travel plans of many who had made advance bookings for Umrah, personal trips, and family visits during the October school holidays. Passengers scheduled to travel to and from Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, and Madinah have been affected, he added. Association general secretary Zakir Ikhlas Zakir, Hameed, Hasan Saad, Iqbal, Mohiuddin, and others were present at the press meet.