Many aspirants will not be able to perform Hajj this year as the ticket price and accommodation costs have risen sharply due to collusion by a so-called syndicate that comprises both public and private stakeholders.
A Dhaka Tribune investigation has found a nexus among a few top officials of the Religious Affairs Ministry, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, two foreign airlines – Saudia and Flynas, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), and Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) behind the abnormal rise in Hajj package costs.
The High Court has termed the costs, mainly the airfares, inhuman and asked the authorities to reduce them. During a hearing on March 14, the court said: "This time, Hajj expenses are so high that, let alone common people, we ourselves are scared by it."
Later, the High Court sought to know how the Hajj package was fixed at Tk683,018 for the current season, up by around Tk1.61 lakh from the previous year.
The minimum cost under private management is Tk6.72 lakh, about Tk1.5 lakh more than that of last year.
The ministry has not taken any visible steps to revise the cost and set March 21 as the deadline for registration. However, it asked the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry to reduce the airfares from Tk197,797 to Tk150,000.
The regular ticket price is between Tk80,000 and Tk100,000 on the Jeddah and Medina routes, and the High Court has observed that the airfare for Hajj should not exceed Tk50,000.
Biman's Managing Director Shafiul Azim on Sunday said there was no scope to reduce the fare of Hajj flights this year. “The reason behind the hike in airfare is increased tax, high dollar rate and jet fuel price,” he said at a press conference.
This year, some 127,000 Bangladeshis can register to perform Hajj. So far, 9,711 pilgrims have registered under government management and 101,962 under private management.
The first Hajj flight is set to start operation on May 21.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Pilgrims and Hajji Welfare Council (BPHWC) have urged the government to take necessary steps against the syndicate to ease suffering.
Abnormal airfare
Bangladesh sends a large number of pilgrims every year to Saudi Arabia.
But the syndicate members colluded with each other to increase the airfare and other costs, showing a dollar crisis this year.
Industry insiders say a hidden agreement between Biman and the two foreign airlines is behind the high airfares. They allege that the airfare may not go down as HAAB President M Shahadat Hossain is also the general sales agent (GSA) at Flynas and the managing director of Dynasty Travel Agency.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune recently, Shahadat Hossain blamed Biman for not reducing the ticket price to a reasonable level during the Hajj season.
This year, HAAB did not give a breakdown of the cost under private management, which is Tk6,72,618.
He, however, kept mum about Flynas, which is charging around Tk2 lakh for the tickets.
Saudia Airlines has remained silent over the rise in ticket prices.
In January, Biman proposed raising the airfare to Tk2.10 lakh from Tk1.40 lakh last year. The decision was accepted by representatives from Saudia and Flynas without any reservations.
In another meeting held in the same month, low-cost Saudi airline company Flynas demanded to carry 50% of the Hajj pilgrims from the quota allocated for Saudia.
In the face of objections raised by the Saudia authorities, Flynas was permitted to transport 20,000 pilgrims.
The decisions were approved by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and CAAB.
Industry stakeholders identify the scopes for Flynas as a factor behind the high ticket price, as the operator is only permitted to operate charter flights.
Biman MD and CEO Shafiul Azim earlier told Dhaka Tribune: “We deal with only the airfare out of 15 Hajj items. The remaining items are determined and dealt with by HAAB, which can reduce other costs easily.”
In response to the High Court's directives, the Religious Affairs Ministry says there is no scope for reducing the cost of Hajj pilgrims, showing an increase in dollar price, airfares, house rent, and Moallem (guide) fees.
This is not the first time the ministry has refused to adhere to the High Court order.
Facilities not convenient
Several pilgrims who performed Hajj in previous years said they had paid the same amount as people from other countries, but had to stay far away from Makkah and Madinah.
They also alleged that, although the cost of staying at these places and transportation is relatively low, the government and HAAB charge more than usual and force the pilgrims to pay the amounts in advance.
A pilgrim who performed Hajj last year, seeking anonymity, said they had to stay in Saudia Arabia for an additional 15 to 20 days for the return flight. “It is another reason behind the extra cost,” he said.
Non-coordination blamed
Asked about these issues, Additional Secretary (Hajj Wing) of the Religious Affairs Ministry Matiul Islam told Dhaka Tribune: "One of the three reasons behind the higher cost is passenger pressure. Moreover, return flights are delayed by about 35 or 40 days due to the rush of pilgrims which increases the cost of accommodation.”
Matiul Islam cited the delay in Hajj registration as the reason for renting houses at distant places.
He said they had proposed shorter and cheaper Hajj packages to the Civil Aviation Ministry and Biman. “But we got no response from them.”
