JEDDAH, 19 October 2007 — As Eid ended and the Umrah pilgrims headed for home, the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah on Wednesday night shut its doors to the departure hall and the armed Royal Saudi Airforce guards were positioned on the arrivals exit.
Thousands of frustrated travelers milled about outside the terminal building, while inside thousands more jammed the hall.
The hold-up inside the building was caused by the security check-in procedure, which passengers have to undergo before checking in for their flights. Normally crowded, it proved entirely inadequate to handle the pre-Haj influx of visitors.
“This is getting to be normal,” sighed one airline official, preferring not to be identified. “Some of these people have been waiting for two hours or more just to go through security.”
He explained that on this occasion, doors had been shut in an attempt to prevent greater chaos. “Many of these people are not flying until tomorrow,” he said. “But they come early determined to check in even though the check-in for their flights have not begun.”
The scene was one of total chaos. Pilgrims returning to Pakistan carrying elaborately roped up bales of clothes made barricades in the crowd to protect their wives and children; tall Africans with brightly colored knitted hats and carrying commodious cases muscled through the crowd demanding attention and then courteously diverted by implacable security staff; patient Indonesians slept on the floor or stretched themselves out on bags forming an oasis of quiet in the midst of the melee.
Even the baggage porters, grimly hanging on to their trolleys, were getting impatient. Several balanced their empty trolleys on their heads and maneuvered themselves through the crowds looking for business, occasionally igniting sparks of ill temper from frustrated passengers.
Even getting out of the departure hall to waiting taxis was fraught with difficulty for passengers and airport porters. Lines of sleepy looking drivers leaned against the windows of the hall outside, pressing crumpled pieces of paper with the names of arriving passengers against the glass. They were banned from entering by the smartly dressed but clearly stressed armed red-bereted guards.
Scores of people pressed against the exit, trying to force an entry. The guards kept them away and simultaneously had to contend with the press of newly arrived passengers attempting to get out of the single set of open doors.
One porter, who was trying to leave the departure area to get to his station outside, lost his temper in the crowd. The guards settled the issue by sending him out of the terminal.
There was no visible attempt by the airline staff to separate the passengers into chronological order — different lines for different flights. Staff was besieged with pleas for help to get families on to a flight that was shortly to close. Such was the press of people that it took a full 10 minutes to force a way through 50 meters of crowd inside the terminal — and that carrying only a notebook. Those with anything bigger had little chance of progress.
Haj and Umrah visitors should be no surprise to the airport authorities. The authorities know in advance of the details of flight arrivals — both in quantity of people and timing. But many are sent to the airport early by the agents and they camp out till their flights are announced.
Is this why this chaos is “becoming normal?” Simple crowd control measures in place in the car park could easily form the basis of ensuring departing passengers arrive for check-in at the appropriate time. Even something as simple as selecting passengers with the flight departing soonest, letting them clear security and check in would alleviate the crush. Also the use of the Haj terminal for Umrah passengers during this period could be considered. A little organization could help in bringing order to the chaos.
