ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Authorities in the Kurdistan Region halted all flights to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after hundreds of pilgrims visiting for the Umrah pilgrimage were left stranded due to irregular Iraqi Airways schedules.
The Kurdistan Region’s General Directorate of Hajj and Umrah said many pilgrims have been forced to either remain in Saudi Arabia or return by bus due to irregular Iraqi Airways schedules, warning that no company facilitating the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage is permitted to arrange air travel until further notice.
In a statement, it warned “all Hajj and Umrah companies in all governorates and independent administrations not to arrange any Umrah trips by air until the General Directorate of Hajj and Umrah gives them permission.”
The directorate also called on Iraqi Airways to expedite the return of Kurdish pilgrims or face legal accountability, stressing that flights from Erbil and Sulaimani airports will remain halted until all stranded passengers are brought back and assurances are given for timely returns.
“We also warn Iraqi Airways officials that they must make efforts to return Kurdistan's Umrah pilgrims from Saudi Arabia as soon as possible, otherwise they will face legal accountability,” the statement continued, adding that the Iraqi Airways flights have been few and irregular.
Karwan Stuni, spokesperson of the General Directorate of Hajj and Umrah, told Rudaw on Tuesday that around 1,000 pilgrims remain stranded in Saudi Arabia.
This year, 1,646 people from the Kurdistan Region traveled to Saudi Arabia by land and 3,490 people by air, according to Stuni.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage holds deep religious significance as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is a mandatory act of worship for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey.
Hajj, which occurs from the 8th to the 12th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar, falling in early June in 2025, requires pilgrims to arrive in advance to prepare for the physically and spiritually demanding rituals in Mecca.
