Air India set to lose Haj monopoly

“The idea is to have the Haj Committee shoulder more responsibility. It will be empowered enough to be able to handle all these operations and may have an expert group with representatives from the MEA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to do the handholding. Besides choosing airlines based on tenders,the Haj Committee will also regulate tour operators providing Haj services,” a senior official said. The MEA will help facilitate interaction with Saudi Arabian authorities when needed.

The move comes a year after several Muslim MPs took up the issue with Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan and others advocating that the Malaysian model of Tabung Haji be replicated in India. There have also been complaints against Air India’s poor service,often forcing Hajis to stay on in Saudi Arabia longer than necessary to accommodate their flight schedules. The pilgrims have also targetted the MEA for its arrangements.

While the Haj Committee already has the job of selecting pilgrims through the ‘Qurra’ system,providing accommodation and boarding facilities across the country for pilgrims and taking care of their forex,documentation,immunisation and embarkation. The committee will be helped with a fund and an expert group to manage the tendering process and liaison with those providing accommodation and tour services,as per the proposal.