A large number of Umra pilgrims are still stranded at Jeddah International Airport because of heavy rush and mismanagement. Six Lahore-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights have been cancelled in the last two days and all Umra flights have been delayed for hours, Pakistan Today learnt on Friday.
An irked passenger Muhammad Aslam who landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport from Jeddah complained that several Umra pilgrims were stuck at the Jeddah airport, but neither the national-flag carrier nor the Pakistani consulate had tried to help them. He said these pilgrims, still uncertain about their itinerary, were stranded at the airport for the past six days.
Another exasperated Umra pilgrim said he earlier believed that Pakistan Railways was the worst service provider in the country, but PIA had proved that it was equally bad. He said he was stuck at the Jeddah airport with his family for the past four days but hotel accommodation and proper meals had not been offered. He said some passengers had resorted to different airlines to get back to Pakistan, adding that this was not possible for everyone.
A PIA spokesman said unprecedented rush and chaos at the Jeddah airport were reasons for prevalent problems. He said further that parking bays were not available at the Jeddah airport, however, rest of the operations were normal. He denied reports regarding cancellation of a large number of flights, saying that the PIA had been carrying passengers continuously with flight delays of around 3-4 hours. Saudi aviation authorities were entirely responsible for the mismanagement, he said.
Another PIA official said the Pakistani counsel and Saudi aviation officials had promised that these pilgrims would return on Friday. He said stranded pilgrims would return from flight number 2060 to Islamabad at 9pm on Friday, adding that passengers had managed their travel to home cities on their own.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official said several incidents of violence had been reported at the Jeddah airport, adding that some stranded passengers had also injured the airline’s front desk staff. He said most of the problems were being seen at the Jeddah airport’s south terminal, used for Saudi airlines.
