Mangaluru: Flight cancellations and disruptions in Saudi Arabia have forced umrah pilgrims from Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Kasaragod to take longer and more expensive routes home, with several travelling by road to Doha before flying to India.
Pattori said agents were spending around Rs 1 lakh daily on food and accommodation for nearly 70 pilgrims stranded beyond their 15-day packages, including those unable to pay the additional costs. Those on individual visas had to arrange their own return tickets, now costing Rs 60,000-Rs 70,000. Ihtheesham, managing director of Flytech Travel and Tourism, said travelling by road from Mecca or Medina to Doha took around 18 hours. Additional arrangements for a group could cost between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, he said.
Another pilgrim from Kuthar said Saudi-based airlines were charging nearly three times their usual fare, while alternative flight options remained limited. General secretary Zakeer Ikhlas said pilgrims were being brought back in batches, with agents providing food and accommodation. Agents said Kozhikode and Bengaluru offered more flight options and urged authorities to arrange additional services to Mangaluru. Fares to Mangaluru were considerably higher than those to Kozhikode, an agent said.
Mangaluru has direct Air India Express services to Jeddah and Dammam, while IndiGo offers connecting services to Saudi Arabia through other Indian cities.