Mavcom to probe umrah flight delays

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) will initiate investigation into Eaglexpressair's long flight delays which have left hundreds of umrah pilgrims stranded.
Mavcom executive chairman General (R) Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad said today stern action would be taken against the airline if any wrongdoing is found.
About 250 pilgrims were stranded in a hotel in Nilai when their flights to Jeddah on Dec 5 was cancelled.
They were told multiple times their flight would be rescheduled to Dec 6, then to Dec 8, then to Dec 10, then to Dec 12, and the latest was a flight at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
However, the flight was cancelled as stated on the KLIA flight schedule and pilgrims are still waiting for a solution to the matter.
A pilgrim who preferred anonymity said the travel agency they hired, Al-Fajr Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd, informed him that they are doing their best to put them on a flight within a week.
"I spoke to Al-Fajr just now and they said they will look for a flight to fly us there within a week. Don't even dream of (jangan harap) getting a flight on Saturday or Sunday."
When contacted, Civil Aviation Department (DCA) director-general Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said Eaglexpressair complies to all DCA regulations and to his knowledge, the airline could not obtain permission to land in Jeddah and was unaware of the reasons behind it.
Eaglexpressair said in a statement on Wednesday that it is working closely with authorities in Saudi Arabia to confirm landing slots.
Its media relations officer Nur Farra Alia Kamal Ariffin said they still have no news about the landing permit, as Saudi Arabia has not told them why they are not giving the landing permit.
She gave an assurance the airline is doing everything in its power to obtain a landing permit so the pilgrims can proceed on their much awaited journey.
Attempts to reach Al-Fajr were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said the organisers did a good job in arranging other facilities but were unable to transport the pilgrims to Jeddah due to the rights unavailability.
He also said the government was looking at ways to help Eaglexpressair to earn their landing rights in Jeddah though the process may take some time.