Officials of Biman Bangladesh Airlines fear of disruptions in fight schedule in this Hajj due to inaction of the travel agencies.
If the agencies fail to maintain timely bookings and send the pilgrims to the airport then it might lead to a chaos in the whole process.
“Life would be much easier if the Hajj agencies book flights after renting the houses for pilgrims,” a Biman official told Bangla Tribune, asking not to be named.
However, Biman General Manager Shakil Meraj claimed they were fully prepared for the Hajj flights.
“Four more leased aircrafts will be be added to the fleet to operate a total of 151 flights with its usual trips on schedule,” he told Bangla Tribune.
The national flag carrier will carry 64,599 Hajj pilgrims by 151 dedicated flights from Dhaka to Jeddah between Jul 14 and Aug 14.
Biman will fly the pilgrims back to Dhaka by 143 flights between Aug 27 and Sept 25.
Earlier on May 9, the government asked all Hajj agencies to complete pilgrims’ flight bookings and submit related documents to the Hajj Office by May 20 as per the schedule of Biman and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Pilgrims can apply for Hajj visa after paying all charges, including house rent and plane fare. If a pilgrim is granted Hajj visa then, the agency can book a flight.
Almost every year, Hajj agencies miss the deadline to pay the all charges in advance on leading to delays in the visa process causing flight delay.
Hajj Office Director Saiful Islam told Bangla Tribune, “Steps have been taken to sort out Hajj flight trouble.”
Clarifying the reason of the agencies’ delay on booking, the official said, “Hajj agencies cannot book fights as they have to wait for final schedule from Saudi Arabia.”
“We will fix the fight schedule again after discussing with the airlines,” Islam said.
Acting Director of Biman’s Marketing and Sales Department Ashraful Islam told Bangla Tribune, “We have taken all the preparation and we are trying coordinating with the Ministry of Religion and the Hajj agencies.”
Biman alone cannot maintain the Hajj flights schedule. The whole process cannot be done smoothly without concerted cooperation, said the Biman director.