TE24 International Desk:
According to the British Pilgrims’ Council, about a dozen passengers were told at the Manchester airport on Saturday that they had not received their e-tickets on time because they could not fly to Saudi Arabia. The possibility of improving the flight is closed.
The country has recently closed a web-based gateway where Muslims from Europe, North America and Australia should register if they wish to take part in this year’s Hajj, which is due to begin in July.
Selected candidates received booking confirmations within weeks, although the framework – known as MotaWife – sparked some embarrassment, including from some who had recently been reserved to isolated administrators and were worried they might lose cash.
Numerous travelers set something aside for a long time, but the cost – more than £ 6,000 to £ 10,000 per person in the UK – is often analyzed for overpriced bundles.
Rashid Mogradia of the Council of British Hajjis (CBHUK) said Saudi staff in Manchester were “extremely useful” but it was “disastrous” to see certain individuals unable to board. He said about 250 explorers, including England cricketer Adil Rashid, had the option to fly.
Several candidates have told the BBC they have received mixed messages about whether they will be able to travel this year. Ali Haider said he and half of them returned to their Sheffield home the following Saturday after failing to fly from Manchester, despite paying £ 18,500 for their full bundle.
He said they had confirmed bookings and visas the previous week, adding: “We hoped everything was arranged, but we were not given an e-ticket message.” “It would be incredible that an agency in the UK would do something like this. I think the whole cycle has been run seriously.”
The association finally apologized to Mr Haider on Twitter, saying they “wanted to adjust a trip due to the popularity of plane seats on a specific date”.
On Monday, MotaWife tweeted that it was aware of various issues related to booking confirmation and was trying to contact affected people within 72 hours. The Hajj business began in 2011 and said the new structure was “essential for the Saudi Arabian approach to focus and improve on bundle deals”.
However, it is not clear how many Hajj visas are being distributed in the UK, with around 25,000 allocated by 2019. Professor McLaughlin says the figures range from 3,000 to 12,000.
