Cashing in on Umrah: Airfare increased 150%

January 9, 2014

Jeddah, Jan 9: Airfares from India to Jeddah have increased by as much as 150 percent ahead of the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on Jan. 14.

According to travel agents in India, Saudi diplomatic missions are issuing Umrah visas in the Hijri month of Rabi Al-Awwal for the first time. This explains the surge in Umrah visa applications at around the time of the “mawlid nabawi” (Arabic for Prophet’s birthday).

Many pilgrims, agents say, are taking advantage of the coinciding date and heading for Madinah before embarking on Umrah.

Visa applications are being approved at a much faster pace by the Haj Ministry thanks to the newly introduced electronic services, which also explains the influx of applications. Flights from most Indian cities to Jeddah are already overbooked, said airline officials.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is said to have never celebrated his birthday, but many citizens from the South Asian subcontinent still engage in this cultural practice.

Flights from Jeddah to Madinah are booked until the end of the month since huge numbers of pilgrims who cannot make it to Madinah in time for the anniversary intend to spend the rest of the Hijri month in the city.

Prices on almost all major international airlines have gone up as a result of this surge in demand.

A ticket from Hyderabad to Jeddah that typically cost Rs 21,000 (SR1,270) before is now exceeding Rs 50,000 (SR3,000).

Waiting lists are closed and even business class tickets have been sold out until the end of the month.

“We have at least 2,000 pilgrims flying to Jeddah at any given time. We now see pilgrims frantically trying to get to the Kingdom in time for the Prophet’s birthday,” said Mohammed Shoaib and Mohammed Adeeb of Link Travels in Hyderabad, who have been in the airline business for the last 20 years.

They told Arab News over the phone that pilgrims usually apply for the pilgrimage during Ramadan, but that a huge number have since opted for this season since it was made available by Saudi authorities.

“Travel agencies have requested Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air India to charter additional flights to cope with this influx, which is expected to continue until the month of March,” Shoaib said.

“Saudi Arabian Airlines has agreed to consider the request for additional flights, but fares will reach $1,050, which is equivalent to Rs 66,000,” he said.

A similar situation prevails in Calicut, Chennai and Mumbai.

Travel operators and pilgrims are complaining that ticket costs are amounting to more than the Umrah package itself, which includes boarding and lodging in both Makkah and Madinah.

Expatriates who bought a one-way ticket home for their annual vacation are facing a tough time getting back to the Kingdom.

Mohammed Saleem, an employee at a construction company in Jeddah, traveled to India on a one-way ticket and is now struggling to find a seat to Jeddah on any airlines.

Mohammed Zaki who is working in medical equipment agency in Jeddah also having similar experience and running behind travel agencies to a seat in Jeddah sector.

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UN condemns Israeli regime’s ‘organized torture’ against Palestinians

News Network

November 30,2025

The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) has condemned the Israeli regime for enforcing a policy of “organized torture” against Palestinians.

In a report published on Friday, CAT stated that the occupying regime enforces a deliberate policy of “organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian abductees, particularly since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

The committee expressed “deep concern over repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, water-boarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence” inflicted on Palestinians.

Palestinian prisoners were degraded by “being made to act like animals or being urinated on,” systematically denied medical care, and subjected to excessive restraints, “in some cases resulting in amputation,” the report added.

CAT also condemned the routine application of “unlawful combatants law” to justify the prolonged detention without trial of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and international human rights groups, with 3,474 Palestinians in “administrative detention,” meaning they are imprisoned without trial for indefinite periods.

The report highlighted the “high proportion of children who are currently detained without charge or on remand,” noting that while Israel sets the age of criminal responsibility at 12, even younger children have been abducted.

Children designated as security prisoners face severe restrictions on family contact, may be subjected to solitary confinement, and are denied access to education, in clear violation of international law.

The committee further suggested that Israel’s policies across the Occupied Territories constitute collective torture against the Palestinian population.

“A range of policies adopted by Israel in the course of its continued unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading living conditions for the Palestinian population,” the report said.

On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the systematic killing and torture of Palestinian abductees in Israeli prisons, urging international action to halt these abuses.

Citing human rights data, Hamas stated that 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into direct killing grounds to eliminate our people,” the resistance movement said.

Hamas called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to immediately pressure Israel to end crimes against prisoners and uphold their rights as guaranteed by all international conventions and norms.

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