JEDDAH, 22 November 2004 — Blame for the crunch at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in recent days is flying almost as much as the jetliners that land and take off from the overcrowded facility. The problem has evoked different reactions from members of the travel trade. Instead of addressing the issues and trying to solve them, airlines, travel agencies, and Haj and Umrah companies seem to be blaming one another for their lack of organizational and communication skills.
“Umrah pilgrims have caused the chaos,” said Turkey Al-Najar, owner of the Mia’ad Company for Haj and Umrah Services. “It has now become the habit of some pilgrims to change their travel plans and go back home at their pleasure. The rush is exaggerated because many Umrah pilgrims want to return home before their confirmed dates of departure. This causes several problems for the company in charge of pilgrim groups and airlines. Pilgrims should stick to their confirmed dates, whether they come for Umrah or Haj. Any sudden change of travel plans will always result in a mess,” he added.
A source from a local Haj and Umrah service company, however, blames it all on the international airlines and their delayed flights.
“The departure terminal gets overcrowded when passengers of regular and extra flights try to gain entry. The terminal also has limited capacity and cannot hold a large number of passengers at one time,” remarked Said Omar Solimany, an executive of an international carrier. “The terminal has opened all its gates to receive passengers heading home, but the crowd is big — and so is the mess.”
On the contrary, pilgrims traveling from Madinah airport have not experienced any difficulties. Passengers boarding flights in Jeddah have been traveling by bus to catch their flights. The Madinah airport is handling five to six international flights per day.
“We don’t have any problems at this airport,” a Madinah airport source said. “Pilgrim movements have been smooth. Most of the flights leave on time. These flights are for Turkey, Egypt and Syria.”
The source said the parties ought to talk it over. “My own analysis of the problem at the Jeddah airport is due to the lack of communication between Umrah agencies and travel agents. Umrah agencies are largely to blame, as they try to find flights for the pilgrims earlier than their confirmed dates.”
A Moroccan pilgrim, Mustafa Al-Haj, told Arab News that he had to sleep in the open outside the international terminal.
“I came early to see if I could leave early,” he said. “So far, I haven’t been successful because all outgoing flights are full. I’ve a confirmed booking, but I want to leave as soon as possible.”
Taxi drivers say they are used to such overcrowding scenes at the airport during the annual Umrah and Haj seasons.
“This is becoming a regular event because pilgrims don’t stick to their departure schedules,” said taxi driver Mansour Al-Harbi. “They always arrive late for their flights or come to the airport without prior bookings. When they don’t find a seat, they simply squat or sleep outside expecting the airport authorities to sort it out for them.
“Sometimes pilgrims are caught in a difficult situation when airlines cancel their flights,” he said, adding that the airport urgently needed expansion because of the ever-increasing number of pilgrims and other passengers.
