Returning Umrah pilgrims add to chaos at airport

By K.S. RAMKUMAR | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Confusion continued at King Abdulaziz International Airport’s North Terminal on Wednesday. “The situation is no better than what it was in the past two days,” a ground-handling agent told Arab News.

After the airport witnessed chaos all through Monday and Tuesday, although for different reasons, it was expected that arrangements would be streamlined on Wednesday.

“But that did not happen,” he said. “Yesterday’s chaotic scene repeated today, with Umrah pilgrims crowding the airport to reach their home destinations in time for Eid Al-Fitr.”

The crowding on Monday was said to be due to the malfunctioning of some conveyor belts, while on Tuesday it was because of the large number of residents who were heading home for the Eid break. The rush of Umrah returnees, which was seen in the past two days, peaked on Wednesday as they wanted to spend their most auspicious days at the Holy Haram before Eid.

A visit to the airport showed a number of passengers with their heavily-laden luggage trolleys using all their strength to push their way through Gate No. 3 to enter the airport lounge. Once they were in, they became part of the crowd who blocked the entrance to various airline check-in counters.

The check-in area, which has 56 counters, was also crowded by passengers who had their flights in the next three hours as also by those who had managed to enter although their flights were after five or six hours. A similar situation prevailed on Tuesday, but the chaos eased toward evening, partly because some of the flights that had been delayed had departed by then and partly because some other flights were delayed by up to seven hours.

Inquiries with passengers and travel agents showed that there was bound to be overcrowding among outgoing passengers on Wednesday due to the Eid holiday rush as well as returning pilgrims.

“The rush will continue tomorrow (Thursday) as certain countries will be celebrating Eid on or after Friday,” one agent said. “Flights for today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) are fully booked,” he added.

There were a number of passengers with their luggage trolleys who were seated in expectation of a smooth entry into the check-in area. “How can we go in at all,” said 70-year-old Abdul Karim Alawi, who hails from southern Indian state of Kerala. “I have my wife, children and grandchildren,” he said.

Airline officials said there was nothing much they could do to let in their passengers whose flights were due for departure in the next three to four hours. “What can we do in the absence of an organized queue. People are standing with their trolleys occupying every inch of the lounge area,” he said.

Comments

AVIDREADER

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What bothers me is that in addition to the flights getting delayed, people are missing their connecting flights, or are facing the additional burden of having to reschedule them. This is not good for the passengers nor for the airlines.

I wonder if this is the case only at the international terminal or as well as at the terminal for the national carrier. Why doesn't the situation figure prominently in the minds of the decision makers or the mayor of Jeddah. The people of Jeddah are quite fed-up with situation, they need an interim solution until the "oh-a-new-airport-is-on-its-way" happens.

If you must, divert all Umrah passengers to the Hajj terminals, so that each airport can have its fair share of passengers, and not be taxed resource wise. This way the Umrah passengers do not lose the spiritual moment to something so mundane, and the regular travelers do not forsake Jeddah airport (not the city) in the future. This is a quite a tragedy.

SARRA

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Its high time th govenment should EXPAND & UPGRADE the INTERNATIONAL AIrport..there is so much land available why not utilised it..??
Millions of pilgrims come to KSA...time to increase facilities with new technologies..just look at airports such KLIA ( Kuala Lumpur International Airport) Changi Airport in SIngapore....

MUB786

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they can route their flights from SV terminal or from Hajj terminal unless they sort therre problem, I will be travelling today no idea what will happen.
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