Flight disruptions linked to regional security concerns have left Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia. Vijayawada-based New Royal Tours and Travels is bringing 40 of them home on a special flight. It was due to leave Jeddah at 10:50 PM on Sunday and land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, at 7 AM on Monday.
How many are stuck
- About 3,000 Indian Umrah pilgrims are reported stranded in Saudi Arabia.
- Roughly 1,500 of them are from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- APNRTS is tracking 253 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh and estimates the state's total at 400 to 500.
What help is on offer
APNRTS president Vemuru Ravi Kumar said the society is in regular touch with the pilgrims and is negotiating with airlines for a charter flight from Dammam to Hyderabad. The external affairs ministry is helping through the Indian embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah, including accommodation for those waiting.
Sk. Mohammed Hussain of Mangalagiri said his parents and relatives, who left on October 6, are still there. BJP AP Minority Morcha president Syed Basha has written to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju seeking emergency flights and relief from fines for pilgrims whose visas run out.
