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SEPANG: At least 61 pilgrims were stranded for more than four hours at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after their flight to Jeddah was cancelled at the last minute.
The flight cancellation is believed to be due to several Gulf countries closing their airspace as a precautionary measure following an Iranian attack on a United States military base in Qatar.
The pilgrims, who were travelling for their umrah, said they were disappointed with the situation.
Fauziah Md Sohid, 49, from Gombak, said she only found out about the flight cancellation at 7am while queuing to check in her luggage.
“A total of 23 pilgrims, including my husband, child, and I, were supposed to depart at 9.30am, but now we are stranded.”
Fauziah said the travel agency was arranging temporary accommodation at a nearby hotel while waiting for further information from the airline within 24 hours.
Her husband, Sahrudin Zakaria, 49, said that although the situation was not ideal, there might be a silver lining.
“The feeling of disappointment is still there. But when we think positively, there might be a good reason for it.”
Sahrudin said he and other pilgrims were informed about the Iranian attack on the US base in Qatar in the morning, but did not expect it to affect their flight.
“I don’t mind if this umrah flight has to be postponed, even for a week. The important thing is that the airline and travel agency act responsibly.
“They (travel agency) said they are trying to negotiate with other airlines to get a direct flight to Makkah.
“For now, we will rest at the hotel,” he said.
A Singaporean pilgrim, Rino Sofian, 48, who was supposed to board a Malaysia Airlines flight at 2.45pm with 37 other pilgrims, said he was informed about the cancellation as early as 3am.
He expressed sympathy for pilgrims who drove long distances to reach KLIA, including those from Melaka, Johor, and Perlis.
“Pilgrims like me from Singapore are fine. I can just go home. But those who drove long distances, I feel sorry for them.
“I believe there’s a blessing in this. Allah loves us.”
Earlier, several major global airlines reportedly temporarily suspended or reduced their operations to the Middle East due to escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
The wave of airspace closures occurred after Iran launched missile attacks on the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday.
The attack was a retaliation for an earlier US attack on Sunday that targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
