Around 4,000 Indian Umrah pilgrims stranded in Makkah and Madina as airlines cancel Saudi flights
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi says around 4,000 Indian pilgrims are stuck in Makkah and Madina after airlines cancelled flights; the MEA says embassies are coordinating early returns, with 24-hour control rooms in place.
Around 4,000 Indian pilgrims are stranded in Makkah and Madina after airlines cancelled flights, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said in a post on X on Thursday (22 October), urging government intervention, The Tribune reports.
“Four thousand pilgrims from India are stuck in Makkah and Madina. They flew via IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India but are now stuck there since these airlines have cancelled their flights,” Owaisi said. He urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to allow larger aircraft or dedicated flights, alleged travel agents had “abandoned” the pilgrims, and tagged ministers Kiren Rijiju, S. Jaishankar and Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and foreign secretary Vikram Misri, Telegraph India reports.
The Ministry of External Affairs responded that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah were “actively engaging with airlines and tour operators” on early returns, spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. About 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims had returned over the past week on available flights, while more than 10,000 others travelled back on scheduled services, and 24-hour control rooms had been set up, the Daily Pioneer reports.
IndiGo has cancelled flights from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madina until 24 October, Akasa Air has extended its Riyadh suspension to the same date, and Air India and Air India Express have cancelled Saudi routes, The Tribune reports.
The disruption follows attacks on Saudi airport infrastructure: per the external affairs ministry, one Indian was killed and two injured at Dammam’s King Fahd airport, with another injured at Aramco’s Shaybah field, Telegraph India reports.
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