Flight disruptions leave Umrah pilgrims from Telugu states stranded in Saudi Arabia

Thousands of Indian Umrah pilgrims have been stranded in Makkah and Madinah following the temporary suspension of flight services by Indian carriers to Saudi Arabia, leaving many, including pilgrims from Telugu states, facing accommodation and financial difficulties.

By Our Gulf Correspondent

Jeddah: The pilgrimage to Makkah is a life dream of most Muslims; however, it was a peculiar situation for Mohammed Majid Imran, who was battling cancer, when he embarked on the Umrah pilgrimage.

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The 32-year-old native of Khammam in Telangana had spent his life savings on treatment. After he came to Makkah and performed Umrah, and was preparing to return home as scheduled, he was informed by his travel agent that his flight had been cancelled.

He is one of thousands of Indian passengers who were affected by the temporary suspension of flight services by Indian carriers to Saudi Arabia.

A frightened wheelchair-bound Majid Imran knocked on every door for assistance, a group of Hyderabadis under the banner of the Telangana International Association in Jeddah helped him by purchasing a Saudi Arabian Airlines ticket for his journey back home, as he was required to be present for surgery at a hospital in Hyderabad.

Pilgrims traveling through various Indian carriers have been stranded in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, passing through challenging times as most of them have run out of money and are facing difficulty finding accommodation until their flight departures. Some are chronic patients seeking assistance to replenish their dwindling medicines.

Nizam’s Rubaat, an inn built by the Nizam of Hyderabad in the holy city of Makkah, has provided shelter to some of the stranded pilgrims from the Telugu states.

Many passengers, who travelled through Indian carriers, switched to other airlines and returned home by paying high airfares. Some passengers, including the elderly and sick, travelled to distant locations such as Dammam and neighbouring Bahrain to board flights back to India.

Members of the Hyderabadi community, including Dr. Saleem, Imran Kouser and Abdul Salam,  volunteered to serve stranded pilgrims.

The mandatory travel insurance for Umrah pilgrims is also being debated among pilgrims as travel insurance provides protection against unexpected travel disruptions such as trip cancellations or flight reschedules.

The Indian government said on Thursday that  it was working to facilitate the return of Muslim pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia following flight disruptions amid the current situation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah were coordinating with airlines and tour operators to arrange their return.

Around 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims have returned to India on available flights over the past week, alongside more than 10,000 other Umrah pilgrims who travelled on scheduled services, according to a ministry statement.

“Arrangements are being discussed to facilitate the return of other Umrah pilgrims at the earliest,” the ministry said.