Amid row over Rs 10,000 airfare hike for Hajj pilgrims, Rijiju defends Hajj Committee’s decision, cites Iran war impact

Amid row over Hajj Committee’s decision to hike airfare by Rs 10,000 for every Hajj pilgrim this year, Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, on Sunday defended the move, saying the government has brought the fee hike down as airlines were insisting on increasing the fare by around Rs 40,000.

Rijiju cited increased pressure on airlines due to a sharp rise in global ATF prices amid the US-Iran war.

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“Some people wrote letters regarding the issue of why the Hajj fare has been increased by $100? Everyone knows that after the war between Iran and the US-Israel, the airlines requested an increase of $400. They have proposed an increase in the airfare for Hajj pilgrims to $400. We don’t want poor pilgrims to be unable to go on Hajj due to financial constraints. Therefore, senior officials of the ministry sat down and negotiated with airline companies and brought the fee down from $400 to $100.”

He further stated that the airfares for private operators have been increased by USD 150 (roughly around Rs 15,000).

“So, for those going on Hajj through the Hajj Committee of India, there has been an increase of only $100, and for private operators, there has been an increase of $150…,” he added.

The clarification came after AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi called the Hajj Committee’s hike an “exploitation” and demanded the government to refund the increased airfare collected from the pilgrims.

“The Haj Committee is demanding an additional ₹10,000 from Haj pilgrims as “differential airfare.” This is despite collecting ₹90,844 per pilgrim a couple of months ago departing from Mumbai Embarkation Point. This is almost DOUBLE the prevalent rates for individual travellers,” Owaisi had said on X.

He further asked if the government was punishing pilgrims for going through the Hajj 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 The circular must be withdrawn immediately, and the pilgrims must be refunded the money taken from them,” he added.