New Delhi: Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Sunday clarified the government’s stance on the recent increase in Haj airfares, stating that the central government intervened to significantly reduce the hike originally proposed by airlines following geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
Union Minister Rijiju explained that the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the US-Israel axis had led to a sharp rise in operational costs for aviation companies, who initially sought a much steeper price revision, speaking to reporters here.
“Some people wrote letters regarding the issue of why the Haj fare has been increased by $100? Everyone knows that after the war between Iran and the US-Israel, the airlines requested an increase of $400. They have proposed an increase in the airfare for Haj pilgrims to $400. We don’t want poor pilgrims to be unable to go on Haj due to financial constraints. Therefore, senior officials of the ministry sat down and negotiated with airline companies and brought the fee down from $400 to $100. So, for those going on Haj through the Haj Committee of India, there has been an increase of only $100, and for private operators, there has been an increase of $150", Rijiju said. (ANI)
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