Hajis under private management to face lodging crisis: Haab
Around 30,000 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims, travelling to Saudi Arabia under private management, will face housing crisis in Makkah and Madinah if the current flight schedule is maintained, the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) said yesterday.
The situation will be created due to government's delayed announcement of the flight schedule, Haab leaders told a press conference in the capital.
They urged the government to allow other airlines alongside Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Saudi Airlines and National Air Services to fly 60,000 Hajj passengers within the first ten days into the start of Hajj flights to avoid the crisis. Otherwise, they said, 30,000 Hajj passengers would have to spend nights under the open sky.
According to current flight schedule, the three carriers will take 30,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia within the said period.
The Hajj flight operation started with four Biman flights on Monday.
Haab President Jamal Uddin Ahmed said, "Saudi Arabia government's deadline to rent houses to pilgrims nearly came to an end before the final flight schedule was declared. So, Hajj agencies had to have houses rented before the schedule.
"And now we found that it needs to carry around 60,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia within the first ten days in line with the house rent contracts.
"If the government allows third carriers from Bangladeshi private or foreign airlines, these pilgrims can be sent to Saudi Arabia within the time," he said.
Otherwise the hajj agencies will have to rearrange the house contracts or rent new houses for the remaining 30,000 pilgrims, which is not possible, he added.
The Bangladesh government has decided not to allow third carriers this year.
Biman will carry 56,284 of a total of 112,568 Hajj pilgrims this year. The rest will be carried by Saudi Airlines and National Air Services of Saudi Arabia, and they will start flight operation on September 21.
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