RIYADH, 24 November 2004 — Top Pakistan International Airlines officials have ordered an inquiry into the number of passengers recently stranded in Jeddah. Two members of an investigating panel — Wasim Bari and Ahsan Siddiqui — were in Jeddah to investigate allegations by both the airline’s passengers and its ground staff.
According to Pakistani Ambassador Abdul Aziz Mirza, the Pakistani Ministry of Religious Affairs is working on a new strategy to find ways to ensure that these problems, especially during Umrah and Haj, do not occur again.
Mirza said Saudia and other airlines are not sharing passenger loads because of the subsidized Umrah airfare offered by Pakistan’s national carrier.
“A cause of concern is the increase in passenger traffic from Pakistan during Umrah season. This year, the numbers exceeded 120,000,” the ambassador said. It was virtually impossible to fly such a large number back to Pakistan after Ramadan 27 in time for Eid even though all Riyadh-bound PIA flights were diverted to Jeddah to take on passengers.
Referring to the problems in Jeddah, local PIA officials said the problem had been made worse when scores of Umrah pilgrims were left stranded and besieged the Jeddah PIA office in an attempt to get seats on PIA flights. Women and children were seen camping outside the PIA office.
PIA officials, however, blamed the pilgrims, who planned to pray during the night of Ramadan 27 and return on the first available flight to Pakistan for Eid. They said that it was not logistically possible to carry such a huge number of passengers in so short a time even though PIA had put on six extra flights a day from Jeddah.
PIA operates some 2,000 flights annually between the Kingdom and Pakistan, including extra flights during Haj and Umrah. Nearly 1,400 flights are operated from Jeddah for pilgrims during these seasons. PIA operated more than 600 flights during the last Haj season, carrying 110,000 pilgrims. The airline currently has fleet of 35 aircraft operating to more than 50 international destinations.
