Some British Muslims who booked pilgrimages to Mecca have been unable to board flights amid ongoing problems with a new Saudi registration system.
About a dozen travelers were told they would not be able to fly on a Saudia plane at Manchester Airport on Saturday because e-tickets were not issued on time. said the Council of British Hajjis.
They had to return home while waiting to hear if flights can be rearranged.
The BBC has reached out to the Saudi Embassy for a response.
The country recently launched an online portal where Muslims from Europe, North America and Australia must register if they want to take part in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, which is set to begin in July.
Selected applicants have received booking confirmations in recent weeks, although the system – known as Motawif – has prompted several complaints, including from some who had previously booked with different operators and feared they could lose money.
Many pilgrims save for years, but the cost – which ranges from £6,000 to more than £10,000 per person in the UK – often draws criticism of overpriced packages.
Council of British Hajjis (CBHUK) leader Rashid Mogradia said Saudia staff in Manchester had been “very helpful” but it was “heartbreaking” to see some people unable to board the plane.
He said about 250 travelers, including English cricketer Adil Rashid, were able to fly out.
- It is an annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites in and around Mecca, where Prophet Muhammad was born
- Pilgrims imitate the rites of his ancestor Abraham – who Muslims believe built the cubic shrine known as the Kaaba – and his family
- Hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith and is obligatory for every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able
- Many Muslims also perform a shorter Umrah pilgrimage, which – unlike Hajj – is optional and can take place throughout the year
Some applicants have told the BBC they have received mixed messages about being able to travel this year.
Ali Haider said he and his wife have returned to their home in Sheffield after being unable to fly from Manchester on Saturday despite paying £18,500 for their full package.
He said they had received booking and visa confirmations in the past week, adding: “We assumed everything was settled, but we never received the e-ticket by email.”
Mr Haider spoke to a Motawif representative on the phone from the airport but said “it was amazing how inept they were”.
The organization finally he apologized to Mr Haider on Twitter, saying it plans to “rearrange some flights on some dates due to high demand for aircraft seats”.
“For us, it feels like they are not responsible for anyone,” Mr. Haider said.
“It would be unthinkable that a British company would do something like that. I think the whole process went badly.”
Motawif on Monday tweeted that it was aware of the issues in a number of booking confirmation cases and attempted to contact those concerned within 72 hours.
The BBC has attempted to contact the organization.
British and other Western pilgrims have previously been able to book through Saudi Arabia-licensed agents in their home countries.
Prof Sean McLoughlin of the University of Leeds has been researching the Hajj industry since 2011 and said the new system is “part of Saudi Arabia’s strategy to centralize and simplify package sales”.
The Kingdom has announced that a million pilgrims this year as it welcomes foreign visitors for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.
However, it is not clear how many Hajj visas will be allocated to the UK, which was reported as having around 25,000 in 2019. Prof McLoughlin said the numbers ranged from 3,000 to 12,000.
“While the previous system was sometimes exploited by scammers, the best agents tried to make the complexities of Hajj easier for their pilgrims,” he said.
“Motawif failed miserably as it was way too late – it hasn’t been piloted or tested and it hasn’t proven to be as flexible or affordable as initially claimed.
“The other issue is that Motawif doesn’t communicate clearly and is contradicting themselves – they don’t seem able to deliver and their tech system has let them down badly.”
He said the process was “at a crisis point” with people “showing up at airports and being told they couldn’t travel”.
A number of people have contacted the BBC with concerns their bookings may not be fulfilled.
MP Yasmin Qureshi, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Hajj and Umrah, had earlier urged the Saudi government to delay the new system until next year.
She warned that it “wouldn’t work” and asked Hajj Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah if refunds would be given.
Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was “aware that not all issues have been resolved and continue to seek information from the Saudi authorities”.
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