‘Illogical, immoral’

The civil aviation ministry’s proposal to increase airfare for each hajj pilgrim by Tk 12,000 from last year has drawn much criticism from Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) and the religious affairs ministry.

Both protested and opposed the huge rise in airfare of pilgrims, terming it ‘illogical” and “immoral”.

Top leaders of HAAB, a platform of country’s hajj agencies, yesterday at a press conference said the Saudi government did not increase or impose any new charge or tax this year for carrying hajj pilgrims. 

They also said the Bangladesh government did not impose any new charge or tax in this regard either.

“Besides, the price of jet fuel also didn’t increase. Rather, the price of jet fuel has come down to 51 cents per litre compared to 71 cents last year,” HAAB president M Shahadat Hossain said at the briefing.

He also said the airfare of hajj pilgrims could be maximum Tk 88,000 to Tk 1,14,000.

To back his statement, the HAAB president said during the rest of the year, the airfare on Dhaka-Saudi Arabia-Dhaka route is around Tk 44,000 to Tk 57,000.

“As the aircraft dedicated for carrying hajj pilgrims return empty from Saudi Arabia, the airfare during hajj could be maximum Tk 88,000 to Tk 1,14,000,” he added.

Shahadat Hossain said it would negatively impact the entire hajj management, if airfare of hajj pilgrims is increased illogically.

He also demanded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention so that the airfare is not increased this year.

HAAB leaders said the civil aviation ministry has increased the airfare of hajj pilgrims this year to cover up Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ losses that it suffered from other business sectors.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines usually carries half of hajj pilgrims every year while the Saudi Arabian Airlines transports the rest.

A total of 1,37,198 Bangladeshi pilgrims are scheduled to perform hajj this year, scheduled to take place on July 31 -- subject to sighting of the moon.

“If pilgrims’ airfare is hiked, then the cost of total hajj package will also go up. This will also create burden on pilgrims,” HAAB president Shahadat Hossain told this newspaper yesterday. Many Bangladeshis may fail to perform hajj due to high costs, he added.

An official of the religious affairs ministry said they didn’t agree with the civil aviation ministry’s proposal to illogically increase the airfare of hajj pilgrims, as the Saudi government did not impose any new charge for this year’s Hajj and the price of jet fuel did not increase.

“Oil prices have declined in the world market. Amid such a situation, raising the airfare is not logical,” he said, wishing not to be named.

At an inter-ministerial meeting on Sunday, secretary of the civil aviation ministry Md Mohibul Haque placed the proposal to increase pilgrim’s this year’s airfare to Tk 1,54,000 from Tk 1,28,000 in last year.

HAAB leaders at the meeting protested the proposal, and as the civil aviation ministry remained rigid on the proposal, HAAB leaders at one stage walked out, meeting sources told The Daily Star.

As a result, the meeting was adjourned and the matter of setting pilgrims’ airfare is still undecided.

The civil aviation ministry recently rescheduled the price of airfare of hajj pilgrims at Tk 1,40,000, which was also rejected by the HAAB.

Both the religious affairs ministry and HAAB said the proposed airfare is two to three times higher than the normal fare on Dhaka-Saudi route.

The government is yet to announce the hajj package for this year.