Despite the high number of pilgrims, many Hajj flights are leaving with empty seats due to visa complications, delays in payment by pilgrims, and failure of airlines to update their information in a timely manner.
Consequently, a significant number of tickets remain unsold. From May 4 to 10, up to 64% of seats on some flights were unsold. Among these, the highest number of unsold tickets is with Saudia Airlines. Consequently, many Hajj flights are departing with vacant seats despite there being demand from pilgrims.
The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) stated that empty seats on early flights won’t cause major issues. No additional fees will be charged when issuing later tickets for those whose visas are delayed. Alongside visa complications, issues with updating data and timely payments by airlines are contributing to the empty seats on flights.
According to the relevant data, 37 flights have departed from Dhaka with Hajj pilgrims between April 29 and last Friday morning. Of these, 6,202 pilgrims traveled on 15 Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights, 4,858 on 12 Saudia flights, and 4,094 on 10 Flynas flights. Hajj flights will continue until May 31, and return flights will begin on June 10.
According to airline sources, 10 flights operated on the fifth day of Hajj travel (Saturday). Of these, up to 3% of seats remained unsold on seven flights. Saudia had the lowest ticket sales.
According to the Hajj portal, up to 64% of tickets remained unsold on certain flights between today and May 10.
Farid Ahmed Majumder, General Secretary of HAAB, said that some visas are delayed due to system-related issues, which is causing complications.
He also mentioned that airlines are not entering accurate data into the SMS system, which results in the online portal showing empty seats. Additionally, Saudi Arabia has launched a new platform for pilgrims called “Nusuk Mashaer,” which is causing some visa delays.
To address these issues, Bangladesh’s religious affairs adviser has sent a DO (Demi-Official) letter to the Saudi Minister of Religious Affairs. The problems are expected to be resolved soon.
Abdus Salam Aref, President of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), stated, “The main issue is with visas. Due to delays in getting visas, some seats are going unoccupied. That’s the root cause. The tickets were sold long ago, but without embassy clearance for those expected to travel, the seats are going empty.”
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is operating 118 pre-Hajj flights this year. When asked whether Biman is facing any such complications, Bushra Islam, General Manager of the airline’s Public Relations Department, told The Daily Ittefaq: “We have a fixed number of pilgrims, so there are no vacant seats, and therefore, no complications.”
When asked about this matter, the Director of the Hajj Office, Lokman Hossain, said, “If someone misses their scheduled flight due to visa complications, there will be no fee charged for reissuing the ticket.”
Notably, of this year’s Hajj pilgrims, 5,200 will travel under government management, while 81,900 will go through private arrangements. Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate 118 pre-Hajj and 109 post-Hajj flights.
Additionally, Saudia will operate 80 flights before Hajj and 79 after, and Flynas will operate 34 flights before and 35 after Hajj.
Return flights for pilgrims will begin on June 10 and continue until July 10. To accommodate the immigration process, 10 desks each for Biman and Saudia, and 6 desks for Flynas have been set up at the Ashkona Hajj Camp in Dhaka.
Furthermore, 12 desks will be available at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for pilgrims traveling via regular flights.
