JEDDAH, 27 December 2007 — Egyptian pilgrims returning home are upset at new EgyptAir luggage rules which treat Zamzam cans as part of passengers’ normal baggage weight allowance. The new rules mean many pilgrims have been caught offguard and are having to pay SR18 for every kilogram of extra weight they carry.
According to Ashraf Galal, chief of EgyptAir in Jeddah, the new baggage regulation is being applied to all passengers departing from the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Muhammad Airport in Madinah.
Zamzam is valued by all Muslims and, as part of the social custom in Egypt and other countries, returning pilgrims distribute holy water among friends and relatives.
“The new regulation would mean that pilgrims who cannot afford to pay the extra baggage fees will have to either return home without the holy water or throw away the gifts they bought for their relatives and thus make space for the holy water,” Ahmad Abu Saud, a worried pilgrim, told Arab News yesterday.
Meanwhile, Hassan Gamaleddine, Egypt’s deputy minister of tourism, said that the total number of Egyptian Haj pilgrims stood at 75,440 this year with an increase of 20,000 pilgrims compared to the previous year.
EgyptAir is scheduled to make 360 return flights for pilgrims, who were brought to Saudi Arabia on 348 flights. Gamaleddine added that while one-third of flights went to Madinah, remaining flights brought pilgrims to Jeddah.
Air fare has increased by a minimum of 155 Egyptian pounds, according to the official. Pilgrims paid between 3,410 and 6,500 Egyptian pounds depending on the class they opted for.
Returning pilgrim flights are flying to 10 different destinations in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Asyut, Matruh and Sharm El-Sheikh, the official said.
He said pilgrims who came by sea would be able to return home by next week. The vessels would leave the seaports in Jeddah, Yanbu and Dhuba as per the fixed schedule. Special safety measures have been taken to guarantee pilgrim safety. “Every vessel has been insured for SR2 million,” he added.
