Umrah hub: Malaysia needs to increase direct flights to Jeddah

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia needs to increase the number of direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah in its bid to become a hub for umrah pilgrims from around the world, particularly the Asian region.

Malaysian Umrah and Haj Travel Agency Association (Papuh) president Datuk Razali Idris said this was crucial, as currently, the number of direct flights to Jeddah offered by existing airlines was sometimes insufficient even for the locals.

"That is why direct flights to Jeddah or transit flights to Middle Eastern countries should be increased to attract pilgrims from regional countries,” he said when met by Bernama.

Razali said that currently, there were only a few airlines, namely Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Batik Air, offering the services.

However, he claimed that the number of flight tickets offered was insufficient to meet the demand because a suspected "cartel” had purchased them for umrah and haj packages in the country.

According to Razali, this also occurred when large companies or third parties purchased a large number of airline tickets, resulting in skyrocketing prices.

"A total of 400,000 umrah visas were issued in the first quarter of this year. The number of people who want to perform umrah is very high because of the backlog due to the Movement Control Order that was imposed before,” he said.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing previously said that the ministry plans to make Malaysia an umrah hub, focusing on key countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

He said the objective of the programme is not only to benefit the country’s economic growth but also to promote Malaysia as a developing and competitive Islamic country in line with the Malaysia Madani concept.

Razali also expressed confidence that the plan, to be led by Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan, could be executed well through engagement with industry players to gather input and constructive suggestions. - BERNAMA