First Haj flight on May 31; No Air India flights this year

Jeddah: The cost of Haj 2022 is expected to rise steeply even as there will be a drop in the number of pilgrims in view of quota curtailment. The Haj cost for Indian pilgrims is expected to be approximately Rs. 3.5 lakh per pilgrim, according to a top official of Indian Haj Committee.

The Central Haj Committee of India is working on a war-footing to finalise all preparations and the first flight is likely to arrive in Saudi Arabia on May 31, said AP Abdulla Kutty, chairman of Central Haj Committee of India.

A seasoned politician, former MP from Kerala and national vice president of BJP, Abdullah Kutty was in Saudi Arabia to oversee the Haj arrangements.

Speaking with reporters, the chairman said that this year, 56,301 pilgrims out of 79,362 will be performing Haj through the Government-run Central Haj Committee and the remaining pilgrims would come through private operators.

Abdullah Kutty said that 1,850 women pilgrims schedule to come for Haj without male guardian known as Mahram, reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s priority towards empowerment of Muslim women in the country.

He said that flight cost vary from city to city in India. Airfare for a pilgrim from Guwahati, Assam would be Rs. 1.25 lakh which is highest in India and from Mumbai it cost Rs.65,000 the lowest.

The chairman also informed that this year there will be no Air India flights ferrying pilgrims and that Saudi Arabian Airlines, Flynas and Spicejet would transport the pilgrims.

He said that embarkation points were reduced to 10 from the earlier 21. Hyderabad, however, remains an embarkation point.

Abdullah Kutty said that pilgrim accommodation in Madinah was finalized, where all pilgrims would stay at Markazi area. In Makkah, all pilgrims would be camped in Aziziah area, but rental agreement was not yet signed.

Abdullah Kutty was in Saudi Arabia for four days to oversee the Haj arrangements and returned to Delhi on Wednesday.