SpiceJet to resume Haj flights from Srinagar on May 14 following airport reopening

SpiceJet on Tuesday introduced it’s going to resume its Haj 2025 operations from Srinagar beginning May 14, with two flights scheduled to depart for Medina. This comes a day after Srinagar airport reopened for civilian flights following a short lived shutdown amid the latest navy tensions between India and Pakistan.“SpiceJet will resume its Haj 2025 operations from Srinagar, operating two flights to Medina using wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft, each accommodating 324 passengers,” the airline mentioned in a press release as quoted by information company PTI.The service is ready to facilitate the journey of roughly 15,500 Haj pilgrims this 12 months.Earlier this month, SpiceJet confirmed plans to function 45 Haj flights within the first section, connecting Gaya, Srinagar, Guwahati, and Kolkata with locations in Saudi Arabia, together with Medina and Jeddah.In addition to the particular Haj companies, SpiceJet can even resume its common scheduled flights to Srinagar beginning Tuesday.Haj 2025 is scheduled to happen between June 4 and 9. This 12 months, one in each 18 pilgrims globally will likely be from India.Saudi Arabia allocates pilgrimage quotas to every nation based mostly on the proportion of the Muslim inhabitants. The complete quota for India in 2025 stands at 1,75,025 pilgrims, making it the third-largest contingent globally, following Indonesia and Pakistan, which have the most important Muslim populations.Out of India’s complete quota, 1,22,518 seats had been allotted to the Haj Committee of India, whereas 52,507 had been designated for personal tour operators. However, non-public tour operators failed to full the required formalities, similar to lodging bookings, inside the set timeline. As a end result, their quota was cancelled due to logistical constraints.(*14*)