Migrants,tourists compete with Ramadan Pilgrims on flights
الشروق أونلاين
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Ramadan Umrah which coincides with summer season, threatens of canceling dozens of flights towards the holy sites, due to the lack of census by Air Algerie until today, at a time the company has set up a program to receive more than 1.5 million immigrans, to coincide with preparations for Umrah of the second half of Ramadan.
Tourist agencies expressed fear of what may object the Umra of the second half of Ramadan, which is expected to attract this yearbetween 120 thousand and 140 thousand pilgrims, because it will coincide with the summer season, as families living abroad choose to pass the religious seasons and part of the summer vacation with the loved ones.
Air Algerie has deliberately developed a program in advance, like the additional flights to meet the emergency cases, in order tocontrol the numbers that will flow to Algeria, without establishing a program for special flights for the Umrah of Ramadan, which will start on specific dates that are known in advance, to end all the injustified arguments for the company’s delays in disclosing the Special Program for Umrah, for the fact that the data on the number of pilgrims, which ranges between 120 thousand and 140thousand pilgrims each year is fixed.
Sources from the agencies said the organization of Umrah becomes like an adventure or gambling, because the agent does receivepassports, and pays prior sums of money to the Saudis agents for renting hotels, and then waits for the release of the flights program, which may not commensurate with the demand, and this pushes the agencies to resort to the black market for theacquisition of tickets at double prices, and then the pilgrim is forced to carry around, as other agencies fail to fulfill their obligationsto give up organizing the season.
Air Algerie assigns, along with Saudi company 40 aircrafts to transport pilgrims, which is a very limited number compared to the demand according to specialists, as they are not exploited on a 24-hour due the impossibility, as resorting to other airlines like Turkish, Egyptian and Jordanian, can not solve this problem and cover the deficit, due to limited flights which it included, as well asthe indirect lines which make pilgrims facing problems of overcrowding in trips at airports of transit, and air Algerie gives the priorityin the sale of tickets for Umrah agencies that are active throughout the year, and in the periods in which the tourist activity decreased.
Other agents predicted the improvement of the Umrah season compared to last year, and their guide is the decision of Air Algerie to release the flights’ program for the month of Chaaban, and this means in their appreciation, a close release of the Ramadanprogram.
