Biman cancelling Hajj flights as Saudi visa issues spawn passenger crisis

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has cancelled 12 Hajj flights in the first week due to a shortage of passengers since it started ferrying pilgrims on July 24.

More than 4,000 pilgrims could have gone to Saudi Arabia to attend the ritual in those cancelled flights. There are no more flights until Wednesday.

Asked about the reason behind the lack of passengers even after completion of the procedure for travel, Biman officials blamed the complications the pilgrims are facing in trying to obtain visa.

The national carrier’s Public Relations Department official Shakil Meraj told bdnews24.com, “The passenger crisis is mainly the result of complications in the visa issuance process. Because of this, we have cancelled 12 flights until Aug 2.”

The hitches surfaced after Saudi authorities in a sudden move demanded an additional 2,000 riyals from those who performed Hajj in 2015-16 and intend to go again this year, travel agencies said.

"The Saudi Arabian embassy is not issuing visas to those who have not deposited that amount and submitted the receipt,” said Shahadat Hossain Taslim, General Secretary of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh or HAAB.

This year, 128,000 people from Bangladesh are going to perform the Hajj. Of them, as many as 20,000 are going for a second time and will have to pay the additional 2,000 riyals. But the complications surrounding them are also affecting other passengers.

Taslim said, “If one member of a family, who are going together, is facing trouble, the others of that group aren’t willing to leave them behind until the complications are sorted.”

Moreover, the Hajj travel agencies are not willing to cover that additional expense, leading to bickering between them and the passengers.

Former HAAB president Iqbal Bahar said, “If they (agents) had known beforehand about the extra 2,000 riyals, Hajj packages would have been announced taking that into account.”

HAAB General Secretary Taslim, trying to provide a solution, said, “We’ve written to the religious affairs ministry urging them to issue a notice to inform everyone that the passengers will have to deposit this amount.”

But the ministry has not issued any notice on the matter, he added.

The ministry’s Joint Secretary (Hajj) Md Hafiz Uddin told bdnews24.com that the matter is not clear to them either.

“The Saudi authorities did not notify us in advance about the 2,000 riyals. We have written to them and asked for clarifications. We hope to let everyone know soon about where and how they will have to deposit the money.”

Apart from this, it has also been alleged that the Hajj agencies are charging more from all the passengers this year.

Iqbal Bahar blamed this on a hike in the fees of the Muallems or guides in Saudi Arabia. “The Muallem fee was fixed at 720 riyals. But due to a lack of Muallems who had agreed to that pay, other guides are now demanding extra 1,500-1,900 riyals.”

“Ninety-one Hajj agencies are having trouble to rent houses there because of this. That’s why around 18,400 Saudi Arabia-bound passengers are suffering, who were supposed to go at the beginning.”

Of the 128,000 Hajj pilgrims, only 42,000 have obtained visas and around 24,000 have left for Saudi Arabia, officials said.

The Hajj flights will continue until Aug 26.

HAAB official Taslim admitted that the passengers were having a hard time because of the complications caused by the additional fee, but he said cancellation of flights will not have much of an impact.

“At least 20 Biman flights were cancelled last year. So we can’t say as yet that there is any uncertainty over the pilgrims’ performing Hajj,” he said.