ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s Hajj and Umrah authority said Tuesday it will resume Umrah flights to Saudi Arabia after travel companies signed pledges guaranteeing pilgrims’ rights following delays in their return.
The decision came following a meeting between the Kurdistan Region’s General Directorate of Hajj and Umrah and the heads of all licensed travel companies in Erbil.
“The meeting shed light on all the details and shortcomings, and informed the program-selling companies that they must take responsibility for delayed trips and fill out pledge forms that all pilgrims will go and return on time, otherwise they will face legal, administrative, and financial accountability,” read a statement from the directorate.
All seven companies present “filled out pledge forms with the notary that they commit to all points and adhere to all guidelines of the General Directorate,” according to the statement.
With the pledge forms completed, the directorate announced that Umrah flights will restart immediately and operations will return to normal under new guarantees for pilgrims.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) halted all flights to Saudi Arabia last week after hundreds of pilgrims visiting for the Umrah pilgrimage were left stranded due to irregular Iraqi Airways schedules.
This year, 1,646 people from the Kurdistan Region traveled to Saudi Arabia by land and 3,490 people by air, according to Karwan Stuni, spokesperson for the Hajj and Umrah directorate.
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.
