Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday said the Centre is "actively considering" a plan to resume -- after 22 years -- the use of the Arabian Sea route to ferry Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and consultations with the Shipping Ministry are already on.

He said the "revolutionary and pilgrim-friendly decision" of sea travel will cut down travel expenses by nearly half compared with air fares. The use of the sea route between Mumbai and Jeddah for Haj was discontinued in 1995.