AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slams Haj airfare hike, seeks rollback of circular

All India MajliseIttehadul Muslimeen AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday criticised a fresh circular issued by the Haj Committee of India asking pilgrims to pay an additional Rs 10000 as differential airfare citing the ongoing crisis in West Asia and demanded that the directive be withdrawn and refunds issued to those affected news agency IANS reportedHe pointed out that the additional charge is being imposed after Rs 90844 per pilgrim has already been collected from those departing from Mumbai raising concerns over the financial burden on those undertaking the pilgrimageThe circular dated April 28 mandates an additional payment of USD 100 around Rs 10000 by May 15 for all Haj pilgrims irrespective of embarkation points The directive comes after airlines sought a revision in base fares due to rising Aviation Turbine Fuel ATF costs linked to the prevailing situation in West Asia The Haj Committee functions under the Ministry of Minority AffairsAll pilgrims of Haj 2026 are hereby notified that in view of extraordinary circumstances arising out of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East a onetime revision in airfare for Haj 2026 Air Charter Operations has been approved by the Ministry of Minority Affairs vide letter No HAJ17192025HAJMoMAC147720 dated 28042026 The revised airfare entails an additional amount of USD 100 per pilgrim irrespective of embarkation point to be borne by the pilgrims the circular statedThe committee said the move followed repeated requests from airlines for a base fare increase of more than USD 400 driven by a sharp rise in ATF prices amid the geopolitical situation in West Asia It added that the decision was taken after examining the facts and consulting relevant stakeholdersAccordingly all pilgrims of Haj 2026 are required to deposit Rs 1000000 towards differential airfare by 15052026 the circular addedOwaisi terms airfare hike lsquoexploitationrsquoReacting strongly Owaisi said most pilgrims save money for years to undertake what he described as a nonluxury religious journey and called for the immediate rollback of the circular along with refunds for those who have already paidThe Haj Committee is demanding an additional Rs 10000 from Haj pilgrims as differential airfare This is despite collecting Rs 90844 per pilgrim a couple of months ago departing from Mumbai Embarkation Point This is almost DOUBLE the prevalent rates for individual travellers he said in a post on X tagging Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan NaiduAre pilgrims being punished for going through the Haj Committee This is just exploitation and nothing else Most pilgrims are not wealthy they save money for years to be able to go to Haj This is not a luxury for them The circular must be withdrawn immediately and the pilgrims must be refunded the money taken from them he addedThe Haj Committee is demanding an additional 10000 from Haj pilgrims as ldquodifferential airfarerdquo This is despite collecting 90844 per pilgrim a couple of months ago departing from Mumbai Embarkation Point This is almost DOUBLE the prevalent rates for individual travellershellip pictwittercomk6xUYkFAsKmdash Asaduddin Owaisi asadowaisi April 30 2026In a separate post Owaisi again tagged Rijiju and said Sir withdraw the circular this is not fairThe Ministry of Minority Affairs is yet to respondWith IANS inputs